Australian Guitar Vol. 135

A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH GREG ALFONZETTI The Arrebato Ensemble is contemporary flamenco with edge. Led by acclaimed guitarists Greg Alfonzetti and Damian de Boos-Smith (who also plays cello), the longtime collaborators are joined by Byron Mark (cajon, percussion and piano) and dancer Chachy Peñalver. This new line-up creates passionately moving performances that combine incisive ensemble playing, masterful solos, and the beauty and power of flamenco dance. Their much-anticipated third album, Sofia’s Dream, was released in October 2018. Much like it, the group’s previous albums have drawn critical acclaim, with SMH journalist John Shand describing that while their music “moves from pure flamenco in favour of a more contemporary style, the spirit – a dramatic, sexually charged and haughty sadness – remains intact.” AN INTERVIEW WITH SEYMOUR DUNCAN After lending his…

WHEN: FRIDAY JULY 19TH – SUNDAY 21ST, 2019 WHERE: NORTH BYRON PARKLANDS, BYRON BAY NSW There isn’t a cloud in the sky when we roll up to the North Byron Parklands. The flora that dots the walkway in is idyllic, and as we stop to admire the rustic and kitsch artwork they’ve propped up at every turn, we’re enraptured in the laughter of giddy first-timers spouting out their grand ambitions for the weekend, and seasoned veterans recounting tales of their messiest years prior. Everyone here is bounding in glee with eyes wide and smiles wider, and it makes sense: we’re at Splendour In The Grass, Australia’s biggest arts and culture festival and a three-day celebration of music, mates and the complete absence of melancholy. The festival site is laid out…

According to fretboard warrior Fredrik Åkesson, the impetus behind Opeth’s titanic 13th album – the bold and barbarous In Cauda Venenum (Latin for ‘Poison In The Tail’, FYI) – was to make the Swedish death metal titans’ most epic album yet. And spanning over an hour of some of the band’s most bloodcurdling, yet melodic and cerebral material, it only takes one playthrough to see how well they’ve pulled it off. What’s more, the quintet of tonal terrorisers are set to bring In Cauda Venenum to Australia for a five-date stream of opulent theatre shows, where they’ll be taking their unparalleled brand of callous crunch and mind-numbing melody to some of the country’s most lavish settings. Before that all goes down, of course, we got Åkesson on the phone to…

Few bands have captured the hearts of Australia quite the way Busby Marou have. With their emphatic fusion of heart-on-sleeve storytelling and destructively moreish musical prowess – the individual quirks of Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou intertwining to form a truly spellbinding sound – the duo have soared from two best mates making lowkey pop songs for fun, into one of the country’s biggest and most beloved musical cornerstones. With their fourth album, The Great Divide, the pair tap even deeper into their sonically enchanting, thematically liberal mythos. Over 12 crisp, career-defining tracks running just shy of 40 minutes, they explore themes of love, loss, mental health, the importance of optimism and the beauty of cultural diversity. It’s an album they needed to make three other records first to accomplish;…

OCTOBER Fri 25th Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane QLD Sat 26th Venue 114, Sunshine Coast QLD Sun 27th Home Of The Arts, Gold Coast QLD Thu 31st Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide SA NOVEMBER Fri 1st Freo Social, Fremantle WA Sat 2nd The River, Margaret River WA Fri 8th Palais Theatre, Hepburn Springs VIC Sat 9th Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC Thu 14th Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW Fri 15th Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW Sat 16th Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville NSW Fri 22nd The Jack, Cairns QLD Sat 23rd Kirwan Tavern, Townsville QLD Sat 30th Armatree Hotel, Armatree NSW Tickets are on sale now via busbymarou.com…

Much like the show they’re named after, Twin Peaks are an elusive force of incomparable artistry. Through four punchy and powerful albums of garage-rock that’s equally gristly and groovy, the Chicago natives have cemented themselves as one of the hottest commodities of the 2010s. And with this year’s Lookout Low LP, the fivesome – all of whom except drummer Connor Brodner identify as their frontman – have taken a mammoth leap in furthering their prowess. Working with producer Ethan Johns, the band endeavoured to record LP4 entirely live, capturing their infamously raw and rowdy ardour in a way that they never before thought was possible. It was the product of months spent slaving away on song ideas in their rehearsal space, each member throwing their voice into what would quickly…