NEWS

Valley Fiesta Emerging Artists announced!

Valley Fiesta has always supported local up and coming musicians. But this year, the festival has gone one step further! Thanks to the community partnership from Queensland Rail to support the Valley Fiesta Emerging Artists Program, 15 local bands who have not had much exposure have the chance to play at the festival.

Not only that, the bands will be competing for the chance for five acts to play at the official opening of the newly refurbished Brunswick St Station later this year. One lucky artist will also receive cash funding to kickstart their career. The bands will be judged by a committee of local music industry representatives whilst performing at Fiesta.

With more than 220 entries for the Emerging Artists Program, the Valley Fiesta committee has whittled it down the final 15.
Drum roll please… the Queensland Rail Emerging Artists for Valley Fiesta 2008 are: 

The Cairos, At Sea, Danger Bunnies, Omni Anti, Mr Laneous, Sampology & Tom Thum MPB Beatbox, The Moderns, Little Vegas and the Fuzz Parade, Side Effects, Amy Cushway, Georgia Potter, Le Fricken Hecks, Sian Evans, Vessels, and Table and Chair.

triple j unearthed has also chosen a winner from QLD who will also perform at the festival which is Numbers Radio. Numbers Radio will be interviewed by triple j and have been supported by Triple J with national airplay.

Q Song awards recognises excellence in songwriting and this year, James Grehan, winner of three 2008 Q Song Awards in the alternative, regional and Courier-Mail People’s Choice categories will also take to the stage.

As part of the Emerging Artists program, the selected artists will also receive mentoring with music industry professionals. The Valley Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Q Music and funded by Arts Queensland, is pleased to announce the Emerging Artists Mentoring program for emerging artists performing at Valley Fiesta 2008.
 
Fifteen emerging artists selected from more than 220 applicants will not only have the opportunity to perform at Valley Fiesta this year to a huge diverse audience, but will also attend a full day workshop covering all aspects of the Music Industry to further their professional development.
 
The mentoring will see Music Industry professionals working with the 15 emerging acts on songwriting and performance, promotion and marketing, release and distribution, management and basic business.
 
There will also be a one on one sessions as a follow up to their performance at Valley Fiesta. The selected artists will be provided with expert advice from Music Industry professionals during the workshops and follow up sessions plus relevant resource materials and contacts to further their careers.
 
Carol Gordon from The Valley Chamber of Commerce said “We are thrilled with the support of Arts Queensland and Q Music to be able to offer these artists not only the opportunity to perform, but to also equip them with practical knowledge to further their musical careers.”

“The community support Queensland Rail has provided is also part of the ongoing recognition that emerging artists play in the music culture in the Valley Entertainment Precinct and at Brisbane’s iconic music event Valley Fiesta.”
 

VALLEY FIESTA ANNOUNCES FINAL LINE UP

triple j home and hosed, Time Off, Video Hits, Channel 10 and brisbanetimes.com

As we head into the heart of Winter, here's some news to warm your chilly bones with the onset of Spring when Valley Fiesta once again brings the finest musicians, performers and DJs to the Valley Entertainment Precinct from September 12-14.

The FREE weekend already encapsulates the finest of Australian acts, but now we have much more to add, including a raft of national and local bands of the highest caliber, as well as performance artists, DJs and drag shows.

In the coming weeks Valley Fiesta will also be announcing the Emerging Artists who made it on this year's line up. The festival also has one special performance slot for the winner of the Triple J Unearthed Competition for Valley Fiesta. Just upload your information to the triple j unearthed website and you will be in the running to not only play at Valley Fiesta, but be interviewed and played on Triple J Home and Hosed! The competition closes on August 11th when Fiesta will announce the full Emerging Artists line up.

Valley Fiesta is pleased to welcome the following acts to complete the festival bill.

BANDS:

END OF FASHION, JOHN STEEL SINGERS, ABBE MAY, THE BOAT PEOPLE, UPS & DOWNS, GENTLE BEN AND HIS SENSITIVE SIDE, JACKIE MARSHALL & THE BLACK ALLES BAND, THE CAIROS, TEN FOURS, SARUZU QUARTET, HOT MAMBO, MIGUEL, DOCH, THE RE-MAINS, WASHINGTON (FEATURING MEGAN WASHINGTON & MEMBERS OF THE CAT EMPIRE), DANGER BUNNIES, DEL TORO & AT SEA

DJS:

Valley Fiesta will also be welcoming some of the finest DJs in Brisbane and Australia to the wheels of steel, with AJAX, CHRISTIAN MOY, PAUL ISON, DJ AK47, ALASTAIR GREEN, DJ DANNY (EMPIRE), HUMP DAY PROJECT, ACT YO AGE, DJ PETE SMITH (MET BAR) AND TEENAGE BAD GIRL AND TYDI (FAMILY).

PERFORMANCE:

And what Valley Fiesta would be complete without the performance artists roving the Valley. This year's activities include performances from, CONTACT CREW, FASHION PARADES, FLIPSIDE CIRCUS, A CIRCUS WORKSHOP, PHEONIX FIRE HULA HOOPS GIRLS, KRUMPING DISPLAYS, POLYNESIAN DANCE AND ART INSTALLATIONS FROM ROOM 40.

DRAG QUEENS:

An all time favourite at Fiesta, the Drag Queens return with performances from the likes of Hot Goss, Velvet Dolls and Velvet Motion.

ARTIST SUBMISSIONS FOR VALLEY FIESTA NOW CLOSED

Artist submissions for Valley Fiesta 2008 have now closed. Thanks to all the artists who have submitted. We will be in contact will all successful artists by late July.

This year's Fiesta will include a significant number of slots reserved for Brisbane's emerging artists. An emerging artist is a band or artist in the early stages of their career who has played some shows at a professional level but hasn't yet established a solid reputation. They will join the cream of Australian bands and artists on stage.

Valley Fiesta announces first round of acts

triple j home and hosed, Time Off, Channel 10 and brisbanetimes.com
The vibrancy of Fortitude Valley is about to get a whole lot brighter as Valley Fiesta returns on September 12-14, 2008.
The FREE celebration of music, food, dance and art has long been a staple in the social calendar of Brisbanites. Now, the legendary local music scene is once again under the national spotlight as scores of national and local acts descend on The Valley Entertainment Precinct for three days of alcohol- free outdoor entertainment for all ages.
With the music industry’s eye already on Brisbane this September as part of Valley Fiesta Associated Event, Q Music’s Big Sound conference, Fiesta is giving Brisbane’s emerging acts the opportunity to show conference delegates and the public their mettle, performing alongside established artists on the three Fiesta stages. An emerging artist is a band or artist in the early stages of their career who has played some shows at a professional level but hasn’t yet established a solid reputation. They will join the cream of Australian bands and artists.
Valley Fiesta is very pleased to welcome the following acts to the stage in 2008. This is just the start of what promises to be a fantastic line up!

OPERATOR PLEASE
Gold Coast teenagers OPERATOR PLEASE have had a whirlwind of success over the past two years. Since entering a high school battle of the bands contest, Operator Please have gone on to win an ARIA Award, tour the world and conquer Australia. Their infectiously simple songs like, ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ has propelled them to the world stage and their debut album ‘Yes, Yes, Vindictive’ has earned plaudits across the globe. Now they return to The Valley to show just how far they have come.

SPARKADIA
Art rock popsters, SPARKADIA have been drawing some serious fan mail with their debut LP release ‘Postcards’. Recorded in London with legendary producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode, Doves) the album has been hailed by reviewers as the best local release of 2008. They’ve toured the UK with the likes of Vampire Weekend, The Thrills and Jimmy Eat World. NME, Radio 1, The Guardian and Mojo have all sung their praises. The future looks bright for these purveyors of a sunny outlook on heartbreak.

URTHBOY
As label manager of seminal hip hop label Elephant Traks and manager of Hermitude and The Tongue, as well as a member of hugely successful collective The Herd, you’d think URTHBOY had enough on his plate. Yet it is his solo album, ‘The Signal’, that has seen him receive national recognition with two AIR Award nominations, a J Award nomination, a place in the Hottest 100 and a shortlisting in the Australian Music Prize.

DJ DEXTER (AVALANCHES)
Four times Australian DMC champion, DJ DEXTER has pushed the boundaries of turntablism time and again. His second placing in the World DMC Competition assures his ranking amongst the best in the world. Dexter’s originality in production created The Avalanches’ international hit ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’. Since then his mixes have got the party started. He’s sure to send the Valley Fiesta crazy.

JEFF LANG
A guitar virtuoso who transforms the traditional folk genre to a modern bent, JEFF LANG, is an ARIA Award-winning song-writer who has quietly carved a niche for himself on the Australian music scene. Lang’s latest album, ‘Half Seas Under’ was hailed by Rolling Stone and The Sydney Morning Herald. He’s toured with the likes of Bob Dylan, Bob Geldolf and Ani De Franco, so it is a great honour for Jeff Lang to be gracing the stage of the Valley Fiesta.

BLUE JUICE
The twisted boys of BLUEJUICE have given Australia “a little bit of vitriol” but instead of drawing harsh criticism for their debut single, they have been welcomed with open arms. ‘Vitriol’ was in the Top 20 of the Triple J Hottest 100 and their debut album ‘Problems’ solved most of theirs. Bluejuice bring their electro-clapping, rocking, tongue in cheek hip hop to Brisbane.

KATY STEELE (LITTLE BIRDY)
Best known as the frontwoman of Little Birdy, KATY STEELE steps out solo with an acoustic guitar and a beautiful eclectic sound. The basis of her set is comprised of surprises from her private catalogue interspersed with a few tracks some people may have heard before. It is rare that Steel appears solo acoustic. It’s a little bit of a special treat for the people of Brisbane so come on down and judge for yourself.

AVALON DRIVE
Brisbane’s own AVALON DRIVE has gone from strength to strength since they first formed in 2005. Picking up massive support slots including US rockers Yellowcard, The Veronicas, The All American Rejects and INXS off the back of their independently released self-titled debut EP, Avalon Drive have gone on to sign with SonyBMG with an imminent release in 2009. The band look sure to shine the national spotlight on the Brisbane live music scene.

WINNIE COOPERS
These local hip hop chefs serve up beat treats with a healthy dollop of socially conscious lyrics, lashings of reggae and a hint of soul. Ugly Duckling’s Dizzy Dustin also got into the mixing kitchen on their debut album. WINNIE COOPERS toured with De La Soul, Jurassic 5 and The Beastie Boys and are at Valley Fiesta to get you full to the brim with fresh hip hop goodness.

THE GIN CLUB
Brisbane-based collective THE GIN CLUB’s eclectic mix of rock, pop, folk, blues, country, psych, prog, slowcore, and everything in between has seen them receive national and international recognition. Their third album, ‘Junk’, a double CD featuring more than 26 tracks is a sprawling ambitious affair that has already received five star reviews. The Gin Club has toured with the likes of Paul Kelly, The Drones, Tim Rogers, Iron & Wine, Lambchop, Midlake, Band of Horses and Laura Veirs and continues to be a Brisbane live favourite.

TEXAS TEA
Two piece alt-country band Texas Tea blends the gorgeous voices and unique instrumentation of Kate Jacobson and Benjamin P. Dougherty, drawing comparisons to Neko Case, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Mazzy Starr, Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen. Texas Tea made history by earning the Number 1 position in 4ZZZ’s Hot 100 two years running. Their highly anticipated second album is due out in October so fans at Valley Fiesta may just be treated to a sneak preview of some new tracks.

There will be many more amazing acts yet to be announced. Keep checking back for the most up-to-date information and be sure to sign up to the newsletter to hear it first for special announcements and prizes! The Brisbane City Council and Valley Chamber of Commerce continue to support this fantastic event.

Valley Fiesta is not just a music event. It incorporates some of the best DJs in Australia, performance art, drag shows, dance, buskers and markets – all the elements that make the Valley Entertainment Precinct so special!

Travel home from Valley Fiesta with NightLink.  For the latest timetable information visit www.translink.com.au or call 13 12 30.

www.valleyentertainmentprecinct.com