We are kicking off our Japan tour tonight in downtown Shinjuku Tokyo at Antiknock.
Our new album THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF EARTH is out now on Spotify, iTunes and cds available from http://www.charlierebel.com
We have 12 shows across Japan before heading back to Australia for some Melb, Sydney and Brisbane dates.
I am off on tour to Japan again in May with Charlie Rebel‘s new album ‘The People’s Republic of Earth’. We have 11 shows across Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe.
We would love you to join us on the Gold Coast at Vinnies Dive to launch the album before we leave on May 4th.
Doom & gloom, the earth is dying, greed is winning, our own government doesn’t even believe in climate change haha… but we can all do something to help. Here is my latest effort using the skills I have.
The new single from the sculpture Poseidon’s Music Box (Guy Cooper Sculptor) is released today! ‘Call to Poseidon’ is a call to the god of the sea Poseidon, to come and save us all from the proposed Adani mine in Queensland. This song uses the melody from the sculpture music box that will be on show this weekend at Buskers by the Creek.
ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS SONG ARE GOING TO OUR LOCAL Stop Adani Gold Coast group to continue the fight, so please add, follow, stream and share the song below on Spotify, iTunes and all major distribution channels. (If you want to donate more, you can do so via bandcamp https://humanrecordsau.bandcamp.com/track/call-to-poseidon)
I wrote this song for all the hardworking and passionate activists that fight every day in this country to do what is right. Our government has its head up it’s ass and it is up to all of us to do the right thing even if our leaders are more fixated on $ than our futures. Give them love and give them peace. Respect the land and we’ll share the seas. Hello sunrise, goodnight to dark skies.
A huge thank you must also go to the following wonderful local musicians that gave their time to come and collaborate on this beast.
Poseidon’s Music Box Sculpture – Main melody
Nathan Williams (Bowser, Kwerkshoppe, Diana Anaid) – Drums
Luke Reichelt (Reichelt) – Guitar, Vocals
Mickey Van Wyk (Mickey) – Guitar, Vocals
Kirk Mesmer (Sook) – Vocals
Cleo Cottone – Vocals
Steve Williamson – Vocals
Michael Simms (My Inner Hyde) – Vocals
Scott Saunders – Vocals
Ike Campbell – Vocals
Kara Towner – Vocals
Gold Coast Home of the Arts HOTA Choir including – Joan Ellerby, Ann Whitlow, Tiffany Storey, Linda Robertus, Carolyn Parker, Christina Tan, Frances Cummins, Katherine Edwards, Chrissy Carter, Gabrielle Vining, Allison Forner, Suzette Sheperd, Karen Millar, Marta Kashyrina, Laka Selby, Vera Thomson, Lynne Ohehir, John Ohehir, Susan Merritt, Nerida Sayer, Cheryl Wheeler, Kiki Loch-Wilkinson, Janet Cahill, Carla Dalton, Fiona Hollinger.
and myself Guy Cooper (Charlie Rebel, Mickey, Sook, Reichelt, Too Right Mate) – Lyrics/Melody, vocals, piano, organ, bass, percussion, violin.
Patterns and connections can be found in nature everywhere we look; the cylindrical motion of life is seen on a large scale in our solar system and in the smallest cycle of growth and rebirth on our planet. Nowhere is this seen more so than the in coral reef systems and our own Great Barrier Reef. The advancement the industrial revolution has impacted the planet in many ways, as we fight to keep our planet growing, humans need to find a way for life and our construct to grow together.
May this coral themed music box call the god of the sea Poseidon to come save us all.
#sculpture #sculptor #artsactivism #musicbox #PoseidonsMusicBox
Australian Youth Climate Coalition Stop Adani Queensland Greens Gold Coast Greens Blank GC Gold Coast Music Gold Coast Bulletin
As the final construction and visual design take place, its great to see all the elements come together. The size and awe of the machine spinning and how all the parts complement each other are making more sense in real terms now and all the smaller elements and joins are becoming clearer. I have managed to construct a trident for the main arm supporting the chimes and this will be the only element painted gold, with the rest of the sculpture in gloss black and white.
The solar electrics have come a long way and all the lighting, solar panels, battery, solar regulator, timers and remote switches have been wired up and tested ready for fitting.
I have sourced perspex panels made from 100% recycled materials for the arms and this has been a great design change to allow more imagery to explain the message in a clearer way. I have decided to have the words and messages expressing the cause listed on the panels rather than routed into the wooden panels so that they are clearer and can be more visually integrated with the whole design, as opposed to just tagged on the bottom.
From my previous list I have landed on the following 6 phrases as key,
The panels will be covered in coral silhouettes and Poseidon imagery, painted by myself and an artist friend Mickey Van Wyk, similar to these seen below.
312 plants have also been potted for embedding in the arms of the sculpture thanks to some help from my parents. The plants were all grown at my property from cuttings over the last 11 months.
The score for the sculpture is complete and consists of 7 notes in the following chord progression, C / F / F / Am G. As seen below,
Transferring the score to the sculpture is easy enough, diving the main music box surface into 16th note divisions and programming the melody to strike the corresponding chimes. The final score can be heard in the ’10 Main Melody’ track below. The actual song for release has begun and can also be heard with demo vocals in the Poseidon.03 Demo below.
Drums, bass, guitars, piano and organ have been recorded and the final vocals are going down this week along with the solos and extra parts.
Through the process of the sculpture, I have landed on the idea that the song’s audience is for the protesters. The sculpture itself is to bring awareness, but also to call on the Greek god Poseidon to come and help save the oceans from… us!
So many of the protesters are pouring their time, energy and souls into the cause and sometimes becoming angry at the government’s lack of respect and stance on the issue. I wanted to make a song that could cheer them up, bring some happiness and love back into their lives.
The lyrics for the song are listed below.
Call to Poseidon
Intro CH
Oooooh oooooh
Hello Sunrise
Oooooh oooooh
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
Ch1
Give them love, Give them Peace
Respect the Land and We’ll Share the Seas
Oooooh oooooh, Hello Sunrise
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
Hello Sunrise
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
V1
This… Home…. Lies beneath my feet
This… Land…. It needs to breathe
V2
We pour down like the rains and we pour out on the streets
Oooh ooooh
I’m Calling on Poseidon and I’m on my knees
Ch2
Give them love, Give them Peace
Respect the Land and We’ll Share the Seas
Oooooh oooooh, Hello Sunrise
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
Hello Sunrise
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
Solo
Ch3
Give them love, Give them Peace
Respect the Land and We’ll Share the Seas
Oooooh oooooh, Hello Sunrise
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
Hello Sunrise
Goodnight to Dark Sky’s
The entire process is coming close to an end and through the research and ideation of this project, I have uncovered a better understanding of my practice as a sculptor. Rather than being called ‘sound sculpture’, I have landed on the term ‘environmental music sculpture’ for my works. The creation of sculptures that are also instruments and can be visually pleasing as designed works of art, but also perform prewritten scores and are powered by natural sustainable means (wind, solar).
The design process has been easier than before due to my experience with welding steel and also a more in-depth understanding of the end purpose of this piece. The song and sculpture are being integrated more succinctly and I have found the whole process less stressful than the previous sculpture. There have been over 700 hours of work to date put into the sculpture and song construction and my project management skills have helped this stay on track for the most part. Mistakes have been made, fires have been started in the garage, blood has been drawn and a nice face full of sparks from a grinder at the end of a long day has left me feeling the pain of my hard work. But overall I am very pleased and satisfied with the end result. The final sculpture will be assembled this week and I can’t wait to see it all in action with the final coats of paint.
With the bulk of the initial research already done, I have moved onto the actual construction of the sculpture and the part I enjoy the most. I love building and working with my hands, it is calming. The initial design above is guiding me in the overall structure, but as each part is taking shape, I am refining the small technical details regarding the gears and structural joins. The sculpture would be very easy if it was not moving, but the rotation is what will be creating the music score and also bringing life to the piece. The electronics for the solar power are planned to be hidden within the arms and under the main plate and this requires some planning so that the entire structure doesn’t twist itself apart.
Cycle 1 – Visual design aesthetics and fabrication
Act: Design the initial concept drawing.
Observe: Does the visual appearance express the message of the connection of coal and the environmental death of the coral to the audience?
Reflect: The aesthetics of the design are slowly being updated as I go through the process too. While the initial design and coverings with succulent plants will remain, I am thinking of having half of each of the six arms covered in black coal and the other half in the brightly coloured plant life to really contrast the life and death aspects of the sculpture.
The panels around the base of the sculpture were designed to more directly send the message I wanted with the whole piece and therefore I am sticking with the bold and direct quotes, images and as the whole sculpture rotates, these messages will display.
#1 Coral Not Coal
#2 Sustainably co-existing with our planet
#3 #StopAdaniGoldCoast
#4 Please Save Me
#5 $56b economic, social & icon value. $6.4b contributed to Australian Economy annually
#6 One of the 7 natural wonders of the world in our own backyard
largest living organism on the planet
The sculpture is also very visually based and I’m finding that the micro aspect which can be viewed up close and the larger shape of the whole piece should mimic each other. The small geometric designs engraved on the arms will represent the overall larger scale imagery.
Act: Communicating the overall intent of the sculpture through each small piece will ensure the message is clear overall. The shape of the sculpture along with the succulent plant life will represent the coral shape. The bright colors of the plants, the black coal on half of each of the arms and the white bleached frame will follow through with this concept.
The textual messages on the wooden boards at the base of the sculpture will directly express the message to the audience.
Fabrication is currently underway and further observation will occur once this stage is more complete. I’m still working on how I can make the sculpture interactive with the audience, initial ideas are to ask people to take a picture with the sculpture and post it online with their message with the hashtag #coralnotcoal
Cycle 2 – Auditory musical composition, production & publishing
Act: I’m working on the musical melody loop that represents a birth and death cycle, major to minor and fitting this into 32 8th notes. The tube chime mechanics have also been calculated and some have been cut to ensure the tones are loud enough and acoustically pleasing.
Cycle 3 – Documentation and exegesis
Act: In answering how I can enact the change I want in my sculpture I have spoken to #stopadanigoldcoast and HOTA (Home of the Arts Gold Coast) about working towards a display or exhibition of the sculpture in August. Tying the sculpture in with the #stopadanigoldcoast movement will help develop an audience and some press for the piece. In addition, I have started to put together a website at http://guycooper.com.au/poseidon/ to collate all the blogs and images of the work in progress. This site will also be the final digital public delivery of the sculpture, song and videos.
Being Jane Lane has a string of upcoming shows including securing the support slot for US punk band UNWRITTEN LAW at The Zoo in Brisbane on Feb 25th. The band has been busy in the studio working on their new album and follow up to the ‘SAILBOAT’ single with Guy Cooper from Human Records and Serotonin Productions.
Their hard work and infectiously high energy stage shows were rewarded last year, with the band winning the coveted PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD at the Gold Coast Music Awards and have also been added to the lineup for the 2018 Big Gay Day on March 11th. You can also catch the ladies tonight at Soco Oweek at the Parkwood Tavern on the Gold Coast with The Lonesomes and Cakes and also supporting German skate/thrash punkers Straightline and Melbournes Blind Man Death Stare on March 10th at the Bloodhound Bar in Brisbane.
Please get online and head to www.beingjanelane.com to check out the bands 2016 EP, the Sailboat single, upcoming shows and sign up to get the latest news and a free song download.
The latest single THE DASH from Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell is killing it on Spotify and with Triple J. Racking up over 35,000 listeners a month and just hit 130,000 plays on Spotify. The Gold Coast duo are also all set to support 360 on his ‘Vintage Modern’ tour next week for the Brisbane shows on March 3rd and 4th. 360 recently named them the artists to watch in 2018 (https://otchiphop.com/2018/02/06/whos-next-360/amp/).
Fresh from taking out album of the year at the Gold Coast music awards in 2017 for YOUTH, having poured countless hours into the writing and production of the album, the duo and label decided to make YOUTH a free album for all their fans that have helped bring them to where they are today, which you can check out at www.lanexike.com.
The boys are busy in the studio again working on a follow up to THE DASH and planning some upcoming live shows, including a free concert alongside Daryl Braithwaite, Jon Stevens and Kate Ceberano as part of the Surfers Paradise LIVE festival on the Gold Coast in May. 2018 is set to be a huge year for the duo and their indie label Human Records with some big announcements coming soon as they work on the new album CASABLANCA. Touring continues following shows supporting 360, Allday, Seth Sentry, Ivan Ooze, Tkay Maidza, David Dallas, Remi, USA hiphop lords Tech N9ne and Brother Ali.
Lane has also been busy working on his Saint Lane solo project down in Sydney with Dan from the Griswalds and Duestch Duke. The video for THE DASH is worth a watch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLV7tYXTdXY) filmed and directed by Swedish filmmaker Nils Nilsson (Pirates of the Caribbean, San Andreas) and Lane & Ike sparring off in Kung-Fu style battle.
The ethereal soundscape of Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell is not to be missed, an act that will go down as one of the defining sounds at the forefront of the golden era of hiphop music in Australia. The two charismatic young men plan on breaking past all creative ceilings and influence the artists of the future. Not only are they delivering gorgeous sounds and visuals but their mesmerizing fashion, emerging celebrity status & wild personalities are making them true game changers.
Generation Y has a new face and that face is that of Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell. Be sure to check out the new single at http://www.lanexike.com
The new film-clip for the Charlie Rebel STARE AT THE SUN single is out now. Compiled with footage from the Japan tour we had a few months ago, along with the full ep at www.charlierebel.com. We had a wild time and will be heading back to Japan in May 2018 with a new album.
Human Records.
Guy Cooper 