As an AMP judge this year, i spent just about one of the best mornings in a long time locked in a room at the top of the MCA battling it out with 26 other judges to determine this years prize winner. A gang of passionate music nerds …..and coffee…. produced a great debate, so when it came time to putting in final votes, i personally wasn’t ready for it to be over. But the winner was eventually decided and announced at a press conference to the media, industry and public shortly after.

Lisa is an artist that has sucessfully transended the Idol negative connotations and delivered an amazingly  solid debut album, each track a jem in itself and with enough peaks and troughs in the album to keep it utterly engaging and still a wholistic journey. Something we here at Groupie Mag recognized when her album came out last year and she made our cover.

In addition to the $30,000 cash prize, Lisa Mitchell also receives a $30,000 on-air advertising package, courtesy of The Amp principal partner Channel [V].

The MCA – not a bad place to have a press conference!

Hosed by Chanel V’s Kyle and Jane

The creator of the Australian Music Prize – Scott Murphy givin’ it all that.

Pete Garrett gave it a bit of all that too.

The winner announced by fellow judges Deborah Conway and Holly Throsby.

Lisa is overseas on tour so a lovely lad accepted on her behalf

Megan Washington live

It wouldn’t be the music industry without some daytime drinking.

some ratbags

Congratulations to Lisa, all AMP shortlist artists and to the AMP, it’s so important initiatives such as these exist in our music industry today.

The AMP  will open again for entries in October. For more info head to www.australianmusicprize.com.au. The award will be open to Australian artists across all genres who release original album-length works during 2010.

Mish

images courtesy of our snapper Chris Samuel

Groupie Magazine

Here’s the full lineup and dates again:

Underworld
Crookers
Laidback Luke (pictured)
Markus Schulz
Tiga
Felix Da Housecat
Steve Aoki
M.A.N.D.Y (live)
Zombie Nation (live)
Proxy (live)
Gareth Emery
Joachim Garraud
Ellen Alien
The Revenge
Thomas Von Party
Paul Ritch (live)
Sonicc
Roger Shah
Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team
Turbo
Dim Mak
Godskitchen
Bang Gang
+ more to be announced.

Tix are on sale from Ticketek and Moshtix

Sat Jun 5 – Canberra (satellite club show)
Sun Jun 6 – Perth
Sat Jun 12 – Sydney
Sun Jun 13 – Melbourne
Sun Jun 13 – Brisbane
Mon Jun 14 – Adelaide

Here’s our pics from the night shot by Rafaela Pandolfini:

Interestingly, Kathryn Bigelow was up for the Best Director award against her ex-husband James Cameron who directed ‘Avatar’. More interesting was the above photo, we thought we should share for your viewing pleasure.

You can check out our film reviewer Keva York’s account of ‘The Hurt Locker’ here, as well as ‘Crazy Heart’ for which Jeff Bridges won the award for Best Actor here. After being nominated and overlooked for many Oscars, Sandra Bullock finally took home the award for Best Actress for her role in ‘The Blind Side’ a film which we are yet to see!

All the awards:

Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees Matt Damon, Christopher Plummer, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Christoph Waltz
Winner Christoph Waltz

Animated Feature Film
Nominees ‘The Princess and the Frog’, ‘Coraline’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘The Secret of Kells’ and ‘Up’
Winner Up

Music (Original Song)
Winner The Weary Kind from ‘Crazy Heart’

Music (Original Score)
Winner Up

Short Film (Animated)
Nominees ‘French Roast’, ‘Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty’, ‘The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)’, ‘Logorama’ and ‘A Matter of Loaf and Death’
Winner Logorama

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Nominees ‘Inglourious Basterds’, ‘The Messenger’, ‘A Serious Man’, and ‘Up’.
‘The Hurt Locker’

Short Film (Live Action)
Winner The New Tenants

Makeup
Winner ‘Star Trek’

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winner ‘Precious’: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Documentary Short
Winner ‘Music by Prudence’

Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees Penelope Cruz, Vera Farmiga, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Anna Kendrick.
Winner Mo’Nique

Art Direction
Nominees ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’, ‘Sherlock Homes’, ‘Nine’, ‘The Young Victoria’
Winner Avatar

Costume Design
Winner ‘The Young Victoria’

Cinematography
Nominees ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, ‘The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)’, ‘The Hurt Locker’, ‘Inglourious Basterds’, ‘Avatar’.
Winner Avatar

Sound Editing
Winner The Hurt Locker

Sound Mixing
Winner The Hurt Locker

Visual Effects
Nominees ‘District 9′, ‘Avatar’, and ‘Star Trek’
Winner Avatar

Documentary Feature
Winner ‘The Cove’

Best Picture
Winner ‘The Hurt Locker’

Actor in a Leading Role
Winner Jeff Bridges

Actress in a Leading Role
Winner Sandra Bullock

Directing
Winner ‘The Hurt Locker’

Film Editing
Winner ‘The Hurt Locker’

Foreign Language Film
Winner ‘The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)’

Check out the trailer above for his new film ‘Micmacs’ – a story about a bunch of average misfits who end up trying to take down two massive weapons factories. We can’t wait to check it out!

Meanwhile, you can check it out with us during the preview weekend over March 27. 28 and 29. All you have to do is tell us in 25 words or less why you love France! We’ve got 10 double passes to giveaway and the competition closes Friday Mar 19.

Permit No. LTPM/09/00490

Here’s our tips for being in that lucky ten:

1. Get an iPhone handy – borrow one if you don’t own one
2. Don’t do any drugs or alcohol the night before, and wear running shoes
3. Bring a a notepad to write the clues down, OR a street directory, GPS or second iPhone
4. (Optional) Borrow or obtain a motorised scooter and have it ready to go
5. Get somewhere central in your CBD area before 4pm – you might have to be lucky with this one, go where you feel is right
6. At 3.59pm browse on your iPhone to www.whereismgmt.com.au and keep refreshing until the clues are revealed
7. When the clues are revealed GO GO GO GO GO GO GO. But run/drive safely!

Meanwhile the first single from the album has been unveiled today! ‘Flash Delirium’ is the track and it’s available as a free download from http://www.whoismgmt.com/. Love love love it.

The big hulking drummer of Gorillaz has not been very visible recently at the Murdoc and co’s new hideout on the Plastic Beach island, but he has been spotted in this video, presumably a little angry that he had to make his own way there.

Bad boys like 50 Cent or any of those guys don’t have anything on Russel’s tumultuous life story, and he seems to keep it together pretty well considering while at school he survived a drive-by shooting in his hometown of Brooklyn. He was the only one left standing from his entire group of friends who were part of a burgeoning hip hop crew. To make matters worse, his friends’ troubled souls took up residence within Russel’s body, which was not a simple burden to carry and has affected him ever since. You can see those spirits take over in clips for ‘Clint Eastwood’ and ‘Rock The House’ where his best buddy Del The Funky Homosapien appears as a blue ghost.

Del’s rap from ‘Clint Eastwood’ mentions his possession of Russel:

“I see destruction and demise
Corruption in disguise
From this fuckin’ enterprise
Now I’m sucking to your lies
Through Russ, though not his muscles but the percussion he provides
with me as a guide
But y’all can see me now cos you don’t see with your eye
You perceive with your mind
That’s the inner
So I’m gonna stick around with Russ and be a mentor
Bust a few rhymes so mother fuckers
Remember where the thought is
I brought all this
So you can survive when law is lawless
Feelings, sensations that you thought were dead
No squealing, remember
(that it’s all in your head)”

Del takes over Russel again!

Russel is also responsible for Murdoc’s crooked nose after walloping him on a couple of occasions – one of the times was after he caught Murdoc sleeping with 2D’s ex-girlfriend. He is great mates with Noodle, and the two look after each other in a way that is a little more friendly than Murdoc and 2D’s violent relationship. His experience on the drum kit has sometimes been outdone by accidental genius – apparently the drum beat of ‘El Manana’ was created when he sat on a drum machine!

There’s a lot more drum machine on Gorillaz’ the new ‘Plastic Beach’ album… maybe because Russel wasn’t there the whole time to lay down the beats. He is however, the ultimate hip hop compendium and knows his way around the studio, so it’s also likely he rerecorded all of the percussion when he arrived!

‘Plastic Beach’ is on iTunes here.

Check all the dates below, meanwhile they are also giving all their fans a few freebies by the way of their tune ‘I Don’t Want To Party (Party)’ and a remix of ‘Wet Winter Holiday’. Just right click and save as those two links.

Dates after the jump!
We Don’t Want To Party (Party) Australian Tour – April 2010
With special guests: The John Steele Singers
02.04 Sussex Inlet RSL, Sussex Inlet* – www.oztix.com.au
03.04 Club Sapphire, Merimbula* – www.oztix.com.au
04.04 Tathra Hotel, Tathra* – www.oztix.com.au
09.04 Karova Lounge, Ballarat – www.oztix.com.au
10.04 East Brunswick Club, Melbourne – www.eastbrunswickclub.com
11.04 East Brunswick Club, Melbourne – www.eastbrunswickclub.com
15.04 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney -www.moshtix.com.au
16.04 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney – www.moshtix.com.au
17.04 The Zoo, Brisbane – www.oztix.com.au
22.04 Jive Bar, Adelaide – www.moshtix.com.au
23.04 Jive Bar, Adelaide -www.moshtix.com.au
24.04 Rosemount Hotel, Perth* - www.moshtix.com.au

USA Shows – April 2010
26.04 Musexpo, Los Angeles
28.04 Union Pool / Union Hall, Brooklyn, New York
29.04 Piano’s, Lower East Side Manhattan, New York

UK Shows – May / June 2010
01.05 Live In Leeds, The Well, Leeds
04.05 White Heat @ Madam Jo Jo’s, London
07.05 Club NME @ Koko, London
11.05 Huw Stephens Introducing @ The Social, London
15.05 The Great Escape, Brighton
19.05 Sound City Festival, Liverpool
22.05 Beggar’s Banquet Showcase, Notting Hill Arts Club, London
27.05 Monkey Chews, London
03.06 Young & Lost Club, London
06.06 Communion @ Notting Hill Arts Club, London
16.06 Buffalo Bar, Highbury, London
18.06 Flower Pot, Kentish Town, London

Groupie Mag

Here’s our favourite Scare track… how come it wasn’t in the Hottest 100??

Groupie Magazine

Just because Karl Hyde and Rick Smith founded the group in 1980 doesn’t mean they’re a retro act – these guys are the Madonnas of the dance world and have continuously reinvented themselves to produce iconic releases throughout their career. And with hits ‘Underneath The Radar’ to ‘Born Slippy’ to keep the masses happy, their renowned live act is not to be missed when the come our way on the festival tour in June.

Full lineup after the jump:
Underworld
Crookers
Laidback Luke
Markus Schulz
Tiga
Felix Da Housecat
Steve Aoki
M.A.N.D.Y (live)
Zombie Nation (live)
Proxy (live)
Gareth Emery
Joachim Garraud
Ellen Alien
The Revenge
Thomas Von Party
Paul Ritch (live)
Sonicc
Roger Shah
Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team
Turbo
Dim Mak
Godskitchen
Bang Gang
+ more to be announced.

Tix are on sale from Ticketek and Moshtix

Sat Jun 5 – Canberra (satellite club show)
Sun Jun 6 – Perth
Sat Jun 12 – Sydney
Sun Jun 13 – Melbourne
Sun Jun 13 – Brisbane
Mon Jun 14 – Adelaide

Groupie Magazine