29May2001
- AUSTRALIA:
Heidi kills them and the rest is history <return
to top> By DINO SCATENA.
TWO of our country's brightest young talents were last night crowned
songwriters of the year at an APRA awards more obsessed by Australia's
music history than future. In among all the hype surrounding the
Australasian Performing Right Association's list of the top 30 local
songs of the past 75 years, brother and sister duo Jesse and Ella
Hooper of Killing Heidi - aged 20 and 18 years respectively - were
voted the country's premier songsmiths by an academy of their composing
peers.
In front of 850 music industry heavyweights at a lavish awards ceremony
staged at the Convention Centre of the Royal Randwick racecourse,
the pair took the prize for work on the band's hit debut album of
last year, Reflector.
"I think these awards are more personal," Ella Hooper
said in comparing the APRAs to that other industry award night,
the ARIAs.
"These are about getting noted as a songwriter, which is important
to me because I'm not just a performer - I'm a songwriter."
During the acceptance speech, Jesse Hooper took the opportunity
to get political.
"Stop cutting the funding to the ABC, guys," said the
former winner of the Triple J talent quest, Unearthed.
Also last night, Brisbane's Powderfinger, who are on tour in America,
were awarded the song of the year prize for their hit single My
Happiness.
Savage Garden also added another to their collection, winning the
most performed Australian work overseas plaque for I Knew I Loved
You.
Daniel Jones, who arrived at the ceremony with girlfriend and Hi-5
member Kathleen de Leon, was also presented with the ASCAP (US version
of APRA) prize for song of the year for the same tune.
"This is probably the most prestigious award a songwriter can
get," Jones said. "Again, how I got it I don't know."
Other musical celebrities there last night included Christine Anu,
Iva Davies, Glenn Shorrock, Billy Thorpe and Marcia Hines.
The second half of the night was dominated by the APRA top 10 song
list accolades.
Performers last night included Killing Heidi, Paul Kelly, Tex Perkins,
Slim Dusty, Ross Wilson and Dave Mason and the finale saw The Easybeats'
Harry Vanda joining You Am I for a raucous rendition of the list's
number one song, Friday On My Mind.
You Am I's Tim Rogers said he was very affectionate about The Easybeats.
"That band are definitely heroes of ours for lots of different
reasons," he said.
Other songwriters were more than happy to share their memories of
the tunes that scored them a place in history.
"Getting in the top 10 is pretty good," said Ross Wilson,
author of runner-up Eagle Rock.
"As time goes by, I appreciate the song more and more myself
because I've got a greater understanding of where it came from."
The winners
* Song of the Year: My Happiness - Powderfinger
* Songwriter of the Year: Ella and Jesse Hooper (Killing Heidi)
* Most Performed Australian Work: Shine - Vanessa Amorosi
* Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music:
Charles Fisher
* Most Performed Foreign Work: Bent - Matchbox 20
* Most Performed Australian Work Overseas: I Knew I Loved You -
Savage Garden
* Best Film Score: Better Than Sex - David Hirschfelder.
(c) Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd, 2001.
Source:
DAILY TELEGRAPH (SYDNEY) 29/05/2001 P5
29May2001
- AUSTRALIA:
Jesse, Ella make an APRA Killing <return
to top>
TWO of the country's brightest young talents were
crowned songwriters of the year last night at an APRA awards more
obsessed with Australia's music history than with its future. Brother
and sister Jesse and Ella Hooper of Killing Heidi, aged 20 and 18
respectively, were voted the country's premier songsmiths by an
academy of their peers. In front of 1000 music industry heavyweights,
at a lavish Australasian Performing Rights Association's awards
ceremony at the convention centre of Randwick Racecourse, the pair
took the prize for work on their band's hit debut album of last
year, Reflector. "I think these awards are more personal,"
said Ella Hooper in comparing the APRAs to that other award night,
the ARIAs. "These are about getting noted as a songwriter,
which is important to me because I'm not just a performer, I'm a
songwriter." However, the big talk of the night was all about
the unveiling of the final top-10 list of APRA's best Australian
songs of the past 75 years. All the guests - including presenters
Billy Thorpe, Marcia Hines and Savage Garden's Daniel Jones - had
an opinion to share. "I'm very affectionate about the Easybeats
but there are other songs of theirs that I prefer," said You
Am I's Tim Rogers, whose band closed the night with a raucous rendition
of the No. 1 song, Friday on My Mind. "That band are definitely
heroes of ours for lots of different reasons." Others songwriters
were more than happy to share their memories of the tunes that scored
them a place in history. "Getting in the top 10 is pretty good,"
said Ross Wilson, author of the runner-up song, Eagle Rock. "As
time goes by, I appreciate the song more and more myself because
I've got a greater understanding of where it came from." Slim
Dusty was also proud to see his old songwriting mate, the late Gordon
Parsons, make it into the top five with the classic Pub with No
Beer. "It's been an amazing song," said Dusty. "Everybody
tried to knock it but you couldn't knock it. I always thought, 'That's
a very funny song'." Performers last night included Tex Perkins,
Slim Dusty, Ross Wilson and Dave Mason. Earlier, Brisbane's Powderfinger,
which is currently touring America, was awarded the song of the
year prize for its hit single My Happiness. Savage Garden also added
another trophy to its mantle, winning the plaque for most performed
Australian work overseas for I Knew I Loved. Last week, that same
composition won the ASCAP (US version of APRA) song of the year
award.
(c) 2001 Nationwide News Pty Limited.
18May2001
- AUSTRALIA:
Our singing go-getter shoots for the stars <return
to top> By GENEVIEVE READ.
A LEAP of faith may launch the singing career of Hobart student
Amanda Grafanakis tomorrow night.
After more than six months of waiting, she will finally see herself
perform on the TV show Star Struck.
The talented 17-year-old was the only Tasmanian singer among a selected
group of amateur performers chosen from 1600 would-be stars who
auditioned for the show.
Her version of Live Without It by Killing Heidi was taped in Melbourne
in July and won The People's Choice award. She went on to perform
in the taped Wild Card final in September.
"People always tell me I'm confident but I've never been through
anything more nerve-racking than that performance. But I went with
it because it's what I want to do," Amanda said.
"Looking back, I've had so much more singing experience since
then and I could have done even better."
She said her excited family and friends were very supportive.
"My sister has suggested having a Star Struck party on Saturday,
complete with balloons and cake, and I said no way," she said.
"But it's good that my friends will finally watch it and tell
me what they think."
And did she win?
"You'll have to wait and see. People vote for the people's
choice on the night so that may change," she said.
"I'm just glad for the experience, I was so excited and nervous
that the microphone was actually shaking."
Amanda has been singing since she was four, copying her older sister
Katerina.
"Mum finally let me have singing lessons from Grade 7 to Grade
10," she said.
"I've been singing in a band for a year too. I love being in
a band because, while I know I'm a drama queen, it's good not having
the spotlight directly on me all the time."
Star Struck airs on Win Television at 7.30 tomorrow night.
(C) 2001 Davies Brothers Limited.
Source:
THE MERCURY (TASMANIA) 18/05/2001 P7
07May2001
- USA:
Cafaro, 333 talk numbers for U return <return
to top> By JUSTIN OPPELAAR.
NEW YORK - Two years after ankling his job as chairman and chief
exec of A&M Records amid a rash of consolidation by parent Universal
Music Group, Al Cafaro is in talks to rejoin the U family as head
of UMG imprint 333 Music Group.
Cafaro is currently a consultant for 333, which is run by director
Tom Shadyac and distributed through a joint venture between U Pictures
and UMG's Universal Records imprint.
Exec left A&M in January 1999 after Universal elected to bring
the imprint under the umbrella of its flagship Interscope imprint,
eliminating nearly 170 A&M employees in the process. The UMG
moves were part of a companywide restructuring following then-parent
Seagram's $10.4 billion purchase of Polygram.
Cafaro confirmed that there have been "casual conversations"
about expanding his role at 333 but declined to elaborate. A rep
for 333 declined to comment.
Also said to be mulling an executive position at 333 is Bob Catania,
a promotion exec at Giant Records, which was recently folded into
parent Warner Bros. Records. Catania wasn't reachable for comment.
Formed two years ago mainly to put out the soundtracks to Shadyac's
films, 333 has since expanded into nonsoundtrack releases.
The label last year inked two deals, one for U.S. distribution of
platinum-selling Australian alt-rock group Killing Heidi and another
with SoCal hard-rock quartet Zoo Story. It has plans to further
expand operations, boosting A&R activities and adding staff.
Copyright 2001 Variety Inc. Republication and retransmission beyond
rights conferred by the user contract with Reuters are prohibited.
