DOROTHY OF OZ

It looks like Australian songstress Kate Miller-Heidke is about to kick-off a little U.S. invasion. Next month Kate will release her debut LP Curiouser, followed by a U.S. tour that takes her to SXSW, an opening spot for Ben Folds and to one of the biggest music festivals in the world, the Coachella Music Festival.

Last year I had the opportunity to see her in an intimate setting here in Los Angeles. I love the Australians, so I was excited to catch a glimspe of this upcoming talent. She is the cutest little thing with such a magical voice. She's definitely going to wow the crowds and build herself a nice little following here in the states. I'm looking forward to seeing her again at Coachella.

“We had no songs," she said. "What we had was a huge burst of inspiration. We went into this album with a vision. We mapped out how we wanted it to sound; the aesthetic, the spirit of it. Experimental, hooky, unashamedly pop . . . we wanted to exploit everything that's unique about my music.”

“We” includes Kate’s partner in life and music, husband/guitarist/collaborator Keir Nuttall.

Recording with Los Angeles producer Mickey Petralia (Beck, Peaches, eels, Dandy Warhols), who had the right mix of humor, enthusiasm and weird old electronic stuff to offer the new tunes, Miller-Heidke, Nuttall, bassist Ben McCarthy and drummer Steve Pope spent two months crafting Curiouser. With his strict 4pm to 4am shifts (with no days off), Petralia's studio wizardry turned out to be the perfect galvanising force for Miller-Heidke’s and and Nuttall’s carefully detailed home demos.

“To me,” she said, “it sounds like a modern album, a forward-looking album.” To everyone else, however, it sounds like one of the best Australian records in recent memory – a set embraced by an enthusiastic audience and one lauded with critical acclaim.

“Mickey thought Curiouser was a noun, something that made you more curious - that's what made up my mind about the title. Wouldn’t it be great if people listened to this album and it made them curiouser?”


TOUR DATES:

March 15*Joe's Pub*7PM
SXSW - Austin, TX
March 17*Dakota Lounge*Manic Fest Destiny Party (afternoon)
March 18*Antone’s*SIN Sony Music International party
March 18*Hotel Café at The Parish*official SXSW showcase (evening)
March 19*Troubadour Saloon*All Together Now Showcase
March 20*Maggie Mae’s*Aussie BBQ/official SXSW showcase

April - opening for Ben Folds & playing Coachella!
April 6*Boston, MA*House of Blues
April 7*Bridgeport, CT*The Klein
April 9*Montclair, NJ*Wellmont Theatre
April 10*Hershey, PA*Hershey Theatre
April 12*New York, NY*Town Hall
April 13*New York, NY*Town Hall
April 16*Indio, CA*Coachella
April 18*Dayton OH*University of Dayton
April 19*Chicago, IL*Vic Theatre
April 20*Chicago, IL*Vic Theatre
April 21*Chicago, IL*Vic Theatre

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

Last week we had the honor of attending a very intimate evening with the Brisbane based Kate Miller-Heidke. This was her FIRST EVER US performance, so we were very luck to have been there. She performed at the revamped Largo at the Coronet Theater in The Little Room. It was a fantastic new venue that I really appreciated.

Heidke came out with her guitarist/vocalist, in a blue, 1980's prom dress, a black headband, and shiny silver shoes and brought to us a very fun, interesting, and unexpected performance. Bringing pop, singer/songwriter and classically trained opera together and creating a dark, whimsical but fun place to be. The Australian duo definitely have their own place in the American music scene. She sang 'Caught in the Crowd', 'Can't Shake It', a song about Facebook, and even did an amazing, operatic rendition of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'!


If you have yet to have crossed paths with this lovely Aussie, check her out @ http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke
and follow her on twitter @ twitter.com/kmillerheidke

A DATE WITH KATE

Tonight, I am going to check out an Australian artist who's been creating buzz here in the US. Her name is Kate Miller-Heidke.

Kate is one of Australia's most beloved pop artists, a multiple ARIA nominee, and is a phenomenal, compelling singer/songwriter. This is her first tour in the USA.

You can listen to her winning song at http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm and find out more information about Kate Miller-Heidke at http://www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke.

You know I'm in love with the Aussies, so I'm super excited to have been invited to see Kate tonight. I will have a review after the show!