30Jun2001
- AUSTRALIA:
Class clowns to class act <return
to top>
By
NICOLA WEBBER, education reporter - Music teacher noted talent
TO most Australians, Ella and Jesse Hooper are known as Killing
Heidi.
They are one of the nation's hottest rock sensations, with a collection
of number one hits and ARIA awards to their name.
But to Roger Kelly, Ella and Jesse are a couple of former students
who showed some extraordinary musical talent.
At the last ARIA awards, Jesse made a point of thanking his former
music teacher.
And yesterday Killing Heidi took a break from rehearsals to spend
time with their Benalla Secondary College teacher.
"I am proud," Mr Kelly said. "It gives me a buzz.
Of course it does. It doesn't happen to everybody."
Yesterday's reunion coincided with the State Government's announcement
to spend $1.38 million on 30 music teachers for Victorian schools.
The brother and sister from Violet Town told the Herald Sun how
their school teacher had influenced their music.
Jesse, 20, started playing guitar in primary school but spent six
years at secondary school taking classes with Mr Kelly.
"It was really good to have an experienced player and a really
good music teacher," Jesse said.
"We had lots of fantastic music teachers at the school but
Roger, in particular, had come from a background of playing drums
and bass and guitar."
Jesse was in Year 10 when he and Ella, 18, entered radio Triple
J's Unearthed contest for new musical talent.
"Ella had really first written the song and I had not a lot
to do with it. I heard her writing a song and thought I could play
along with it," he said.
"Once we had done that, I really wanted to develop my skills
beyond acoustic playing so I picked up a lot of things from Roger
then."
Mr Kelly said his former students were not class angels but he identified
their potential early.
"There was obviously huge talent there," he said.
He said schools needed to encourage musical talent.
Jesse and Ella have been working on their second album and expect
to start recording within two weeks.
Education Minister Mary Delahunty said she had been impressed when
Killing Heidi thanked their high school teacher at the ARIAs.
And she said music teachers were vital to encourage and nurture
talent.
(C) 2001 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source:
HERALD SUN 30/06/2001 P15
22Jun2001
- AUSTRALIA:
A game of Heidi seekBy CAMERON ADAMS. <return
to top>
CHART-topping rockers Killing Heidi have rejected an offer to record
their second album in America, in favour of home.
"Our American record company said `You've got to record here,
we'll get you a big American producer'," singer Ella Hooper
said yesterday, "and we were like `we want to record in Melbourne'."
Killing Heidi have started pre-production on their second album,
the follow-up to Reflector, which spawned the Top Ten hits Weir,
Mascara and Live Without It and helped Hooper and brother Jesse
win an APRA award for Songwriters of the Year last month.
Reflector was also released in America, where the band have made
inroads after three tours.
"You could spend forever touring America," Hooper, who
is growing out her trademark dreadlocks, said. She turned 18 in
January and says she's been partying ever since.
"My new nickname is Little Boozy. I'm legal now. I once got
in trouble for drinking a sip of champagne when Mascara went to
No.1, but I can do whatever I want now!"
(C) 2001 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source:
HERALD SUN 22/06/2001 P9
22Jun2001
- AUSTRALIA:
Heidi rejects US to make homegrown album<return
to top>
By Cameron Adams.
CHART-topping rockers Killing Heidi have rejected an offer to record
their second album in America in favour of Australia.
"Our American record company said `You've got to record here,
we'll get you a big American producer'," singer Ella Hooper
said yesterday, "and we were like `we want to record in Melbourne'."
Killing Heidi has started pre-production on a second album, the
follow-up to Reflector, which spawned the Top 10 hits Weir, Mascara
and Live Without It and helped Hooper and brother Jesse win an APRA
award for Songwriters of the Year last month. Reflector was also
released in America, where the band has started to make inroads
after three successful tours. Killing Heidi has rented a house outside
Melbourne for three weeks of rehearsals before they enter a recording
studio next month. "Going back and forth to America was doing
our heads in," drummer Adam Pedretti said. "We had to
get home and do a new record." "You could spend forever
touring America," Hooper said. "If we had kept going at
that rate we would have put the new record so far back."
"This is our home," Pedretti said. "We don't want
people to think we're over and done with (in Australia)," he
said. Hooper, who turned 18 in January, says she's been partying
ever since.
"My new nickname is Little Boozy. I'm legal now. I once got
in trouble for drinking a sip of champagne when Mascara went to
No.1, but I can do whatever I want now. "I didn't ask to be
a role model, I'm happy to be one, but I'm not going to curb my
behaviour."
(c) 2001 Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
Source:
COURIER MAIL (QUEENSLAND) 22/06/2001 P5
14Jun2001
- AUSTRALIA:
Love on the rocks <return
to top> By ROSS BRUNDRETT AND GRETA MCMAHON.
HAS Ella Hooper, one-quarter of dreadlocked-rockers Killing Heidi,
succumbed to the lure of the rock n roll romance? The pierced 18-year-old
has been seen getting up close and personal with Benji (no surname
naturally) from American band Good Charlotte. Good Charlotte has
been in town promoting its single Little Things and got to see fellow
US act Jimmy Eat World at the Punters Club on Saturday. Young Ella
was accompanying young Benji and they were seen to be very cosy.
So what does this interesting development in little Ella's life
mean for her long-time boyfriend from Violet Town?
(C) 2001 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
03Jun2001
- AUSTRALIA:
ON THE CIRCUIT <return
to top>
By Sasha Westwood.
Dave Lane launch It was a big week on the social circuit for the
music industry's devotees and Thursday night was no exception.
More than 200 guests packed out the Harbourside Brasserie to support
singing sensation Dave Lane at the launch of his new album, Put
Me In A Taxi.
Among the crowd were Peter Fenton, Lucy Bell, James O'Loghlin, Susan
Pryor and Todd Wagstaff.
The evening proved to be an all-star line-up, with Floyd Vincent,
Leonardo's Bride vocalist Abby Dobson and sultry singer Tina Harrod
performing a number of the album's tracks alongside Lane.
Mixed in Nashville, New York and Sydney, the album was produced
and arranged by prominent Sydney musician Jackie Orszaczky.
Special support acts on the album include West African percussionist
Epizo Bangoura, The Jeff Lang Band drummer Angus Diggs, and ukulele
player Azo Bell.
Lane also played to a sell-out crowd at The Basement on Friday night
with support act Tracky Dax.
- SASHA WESTWOOD Pepsi Live telecast It may be filmed in a Sydney
bar where the audience gets in for free, but Pepsi Live still attracts
the big-name stars.
Australian diva Marcia Hines rubbed shoulders with more than 500
people who crammed through the doors of City Live at Fox Studios
on Wednesday night to see their favourite artists in the flesh.
First to hit the stage for the hip music show were Regurgitator,
performing their new single, Fat Cop.
Next up were The Whitlams, who brought the house down with their
new single, a cover of inner-city musical figure Bernie Hayes' Made
Me Hard.
Also performing were the Puma-clad boys from Friendly, who belted
out an upbeat rendition of Zoo Is Friendly.
Among the music fans were Kirk Pengilly's fiancee, Louise Hegarty,
and Pepsi big shot Darren Borg. APRA awards The APRA awards were
unquestionably the music social event of the year.
Almost 1000 industry heavyweights fronted the Randwick Racecourse
convention centre for the lavish ceremony.
Among Australia's premier artists who donned their spiciest threads
were Tim Freedman, Peter Garrett, Rob Hurst and Daniel Jones with
his girlfriend Kathleen de Leon of Hi-5.
Brother-sister duo Jesse and Ella Hooper of Killing Heidi claimed
the songwriters award.
Brisbane band Powderfinger won song of the year for their hit single
My Happiness.
The most anticipated top-10 list of APRA's best Australian songs
of 75 years trophy went to Friday On My Mind. You Am I, with the
Easybeats' Harry Vanda, performed the song.
Also performing were Jodi Phillis, Slim Dusty, Ross Wilson and Tex
Perkins.
- SASHA WESTWOOD Viva Ad Vegas Advertising types from prominent
agency Clemenger donned their blue suede shoes for a Las Vegas-inspired
soiree to celebrate the agency's anniversary.
The agency's St Leonards dwelling was transformed into a Vegas casino,
complete with roulette table and showgirls.
Dubbed Viva Las Vegas, the bash attracted an eclectic bunch including
Penne Dennison, Peter Cudlip, Brett Sheehy, Peter England and Jim
Moser.
Guests were entertained by a Tom Jones impersonator and Matt Handbury's
blues band, The Jellyrolls, as they sipped on vodka cocktails.
(c) Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd, 2001.
