The Limelight Hour Week Twenty Two Final Show

Week 19 Recap

And...The song list from week 19's show!!

Soldier - Tyla Bertolli
Japan - Tim McMillan
That Song - Daphne Khoo
Overload - The Vulpine
Don't Wanna - Jo Dawson
Hymn For The Romantic - Scene At The Movies
Barbed Wire - Michelle Meehan
Trophie Girl - Sarah Eida
Until I Fall - Broken Scar

Week 18 Recap

Here are the songs we played in Week 18!

Barbed Wire - Michelle Meehan
Comfort Me - Andrew Lim
Special One - Carmen Tong
Doll (Live At The Limelight) - Daphne Khoo
The Flower - Andrew Shepherd
Made For More - Charles J Tan
Right Here, Right Now - Asami
Don't Wonder Why - Josh Sperring
Green Eyed Monster - Clara Rhoden

The Limelight Hour - Week Nineteen

As the primary songwriter in my band, it generally falls on me to construct new original songs to play. What usually happens is that I will have a moment of inspiration (usually induced by a state of sleep deprivation) and write the chord structure, lyrics and melody of a new piece. I then take it to rehearsal with the band and excitedly exclaim: “guys! guys! I’ve got a new song to work on!” Not that I mind this, as song writing isn’t so much of a chore, but a release or media of expression for myself. However, having attempted to pen a few recently (not to suggest that they are any good or otherwise) I came up with a slight dilemma…

Do lyrics have to make sense…?

I mean, I suppose that truth is that they don’t! My favourite nonsensical lyrics that come to mind at the moment are from The Beatles ‘I Am The Walrus’

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday.
Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long.
I am the eggman (woo), they are the eggmen (woo), I am the walrus,
Coo coo, kachoo.

I mean seriously?!?! What the hell were you smoking and where can i get some? I guess what I want to know is, how much does the listener really care about the lyrics?

Do you just hum along to the melody such that we words themselves are irrelevant? Or do you want them to tell a story and not just convey emotion?

Does it matter if its all just a bunch of mashed up mambo jumbo you penned when you were high?

- Nigel Nobody

The Limelight Hour Podcast - Week Eighteen

A Change Of Scenes

Thanks to Vivien and Giulia for getting me a last minute ticket for The Academy Is and Anberlin show, I managed to make my way down to The Billboard to check out my current favourite band, The Academy Is. It was a sold out show and naturally, the room was packed to the brim with little moving space. The one obvious thing that I noticed though, was that there were heaps of punters sporting tattoos (tatts). It's quite a contrast to The Limelight show, I reckon, as most of the punters that come through the door don't have tatts. So my question is, is it a music genre thing or is this just pure coincidence? What do you think? I mean, at The Billboard, it looks as though tattoos were the norm and if you didn't have any, you'd stand out and it is the other way around at The Limelight.

I reckon tatts are cool. It makes you look tough. But do you think anyone can look good in tatts? I mean, you know how some people don't have a hat head and no matter what hat or cap they put on, they just can't pull it off. Does it work for tats too? Do you have to be in a heavy rock band to pull it off or it doesn't matter? What is your take on this?

The Limelight Hour Podcast - Week Seventeen

Week 15 Recap

Thanks for tuning in for yet another week of The Limelight Hour! And a big shout out to the awesome Tyla Bertolli for coming in and sharing her story with us!

Japan - Tim McMillan
You 'n' UR Music
Comfort Me - Andrew Lim
Stars - Kieran Christopherson
Over and Over - Josh Sperring
Don't Wanna - Jo Dawson
Standing Alone - Avalon
Home - The Vulpine


Tyla Bertolli with "Ashleigh's Song"


"Loved Like This"

Learn to listen to yourself

As I try to do as often as possible, I’ve watched a few gigs of late. It’s actually harder said than done when you promote shows and have your own to play as a band also. When watching other acts play I try my best to observe how they perform and how they behave on stage. I always pay special attention to what requests they make from the sound guy hoping to maybe pickup a few tricks to help my own stage mix.

The one common request I often hear is “Can I get more vocal through the fold back?” It seems to be the common bane of many a vocalist! For those of you who have not performed on stage, hearing yourself sing on stage (when there are massive amps and a drum kit blaring behind you) is a monumental challenge!

Whilst there is a professional solution to this problem, it is a rather expensive choice for the budding band. “In-ear monitors” are basically little radio devices that are worn by the singer / player which receive a transmission that is then output into earphones for the performing artiste. They give you near perfect monitoring allowing you to hear yourself sing and therefore stay in perfect pitch, especially if the earplugs are moulded and isolate sound. Also, you can request as much of the band as you wish to hear in your mix (channels permitting!). However, with a starting price of AU$1200, they are outside the reach of most aspiring musicians.

The good vocalists I have seen always seem to manage to stay in pitch, mostly regardless of the stage mix they are receiving back from the monitors. I have found that the more stage experience I acquire, the better I have become at this. I think it is partially muscle memory in the sense that you ‘learn to sing’ your songs not only from the pitch and melody of the lyrics, but also from the muscle movements required to achieve that melody.

However, more important I have found, is learning the skill of listening to yourself! It may sound strange, but slowly I have become better at using my own ears to isolate my vocals from the rest of the stage mix through the fold backs. You have to listen very carefully and focus on that range of frequencies in the signal that make up your voice! Give it a try next time you are on stage!

- Nigel Nobody

The Extended Family

So you know Lionel, Kevin, Asami and I but we're not the only ones that make the magic work. There are a few people that hide behind the scenes.

Let's start with Jern. If you were stuck on an island with one person, the friendly, optimistic Jern would be a good person to have with you. Displaying a very warm personality and never failing to not smile, she has the character traits for helping to manage The Limelight event. The most recent event, Sunday Sessions ran so effectively, not only because of Asami's highly organised Japanese skills but with the help of Jern.

Just like Kevin, Asami and I, Jern enjoys her alcohol. The 4 of us have had drinking sessions where we do the stupidest things, that we later regret when photos come up on facebook. This picture is a good example. Jern doesn't (always) look like that when she drinks though, this picture was staged.

Then, there's Vivien. I attempted to put up an unflattering picture of her at first but she forbade me from doing so and justified her response by saying "i need to find suitors". To be fair to Vivien, she was just kidding.

This blog (and all its html rubbish) and The Limelight posters are all Vivien's doing. Quiet but kind and very considerate of others, Vivien is good to have in the team. Lionel, especially, likes people like Vivien because of how cooperative she is (and how much she listens to him). Not only that, she is also a very good friend and has agreed to join my future band and embarrass herself on stage with me.

Here is Alvin, murdering a duck. He's the scariest (scarier than Lionel) of us all.

No, not really. Alvin, is probably the most helpful and generous of us all. He willingly washes the dishes after a meal, drives us all home if we need the lift and is a really affectionate person. Also, because of all his social connections, if you happen to see The Limelight posters around Melbourne city, the person responsible is Alvin.

So there you have it. And the best part is...

We have so much fun together :)