Directed by controversial photographer Terry Richardson, the video for Wrecking Ball shows Cyrus using an actual wrecking ball as a stripper’s pole, liking sledgehammers and grinding up against pretty much everything within her reach.

Having worked together before, it’s not surprising the duo pushed the sexual envelope here – the singer twerked for Richardson in a sexy photo shoot in August, but they decided to take things to the next level.

Fresh off her raunchy VMA performance, Miley launched the shocking new video this week, dividing fans and critics once again.“Miley has shot with Terry a lot over the years so she’s very comfortable with him and she trusts him,” a source said.

“She chose him to direct her video because he’s all about pushing boundaries and making a statement. That’s what Miley’s into right now,” the source adds.

“Miley loved the idea of going naked because it suits the song — she’s showing her naked emotions. It’s her vulnerable side and it’s not something she shows very often, so having nudity made sense.”

Wrecking Ball is a song about a partner who destroyed her, but visually, does the sexual innuendo actually relate to the single?

The licking of a sledgehammer, riding nude on a wrecking ball, and forcefully turning to show her backside are all seen in the video.

Supporters of Cyrus are arguing that the singer was baring all because the song is about being torn apart by the bad relationship.

To others, she is making another attempt at shocking the world so everyone talks about her.

Wrecking Ball is the second single off of Cyrus’ forthcoming studio album BANGERZ which is slated to drop on October 8.

Cyrus recently split with long-time fiance, actor Liam Hemsworth.

What do you think? Has Miley Cyrus crossed from sexy to trashy in the new clip, or do you think she’s cutting edge, and pushing sexy forward? Let us know below!

Source: <ahref=”http://www.timeslive.co.za/entertainment/music/2013/09/10/miley-can-t-stop-the-sexuality-goes-nude-for-wrecking-ball-video” target=”_blank”>timeslive.co.za

Now, with the release of their second long player, No Guts, No Glory, the Aussie pub rock champions seem to be on a good wicket. With the ink on a new international record deal with Roadrunner drying and sell-out crowds waiting for them in several European countries, the band look set to make good on their promising start.

RedHotPie caught up with Airbourne drummer Ryan O’Keefe as he cut through Finnish ice on a ferry en route to another European date, one of many on their current world tour.

(RHP)G’day Ryan, where are you mate?

(Ryan O’Keefe) We’re in Finland, it’s snowing, and we’re on a ferry and we’ve be breaking through ice drifts all night!

It’d be a bit of a shock to the system coming from such a warm climate I guess

Mate if you hear me coughing throughout the interview you’ll know why (coughs and laughs)

So where are you guys in the current tour?

Well in Europe things kicked off on the 22nd of February but prior to that we did two weeks in Canada with Motley Crue but yeah, the official Airbourne No Guts No Glory tour kicked off on the 22nd of Feb, well I guess it kind of kicked off with Motley Crue as well you know.
br> And how are things going, apart from the sniffles

Good yeah, really good, the shows have been packed out every night, We’ve got a semi-trailer out here with us, the shows are getting bigger, we’ve got 6,000 in Paris coming up, we’ve got 5,000 in London so we’re just pushing onwards and upwards and were making sure we can bring the best possible show we can every night.

Do you think you should be doing better in Australia when you consider how well you’re travelling overseas?
br> Well Australia’s picking up now, with No Guts, the radio stations are all playing it, which is great, so it looks like in October we’ll be coming back.

It’s strange, while pub rock is considered overseas to be the classic Australian sound, radio stations back here don’t really play much of it, do you think that’s hindered you guys much?

Well I think maybe it just needed to go to sleep for a little while, to make people realise how loved it actually is, I think it has, but it never went away, not in our lives, not in a lot of people’s live in Australia. Yeah I think it’s coming back and I think a lot more bands are starting to play it again and obviously we love playing it.

You guys see people loving pub rock at every show and it’s obviously still a big part of our culture, but the radio stations and music directors have been off contemporary pub rock for years, is that a bit weird?

Yeah it’s very interesting that isn’t it, especially when we toured Australia night after night and people were just refreshed you know, that fact that they were getting to listen to some good old Aussie pub rock ‘n’ roll. So fingers crossed the trend does turn.

Well having AC/DC out recently helped that some no doubt, do you guys still have the AccaDacca tag thrown at you?

Here and there but at the end of the day it’s an accurate comparison, we all grew up on AC/DC, we are an Aussie Pub rock band and AC/DC and The Angels and Billy Thorpe and Cold Chisel, they’re all the bands that we love and still love.

Have you ever had the chance to play with AC/DC?

No, when they started doing the Black Ice tour we were working on the record so we weren’t able to pitch for that, but yeah man, we’d love to tour with AC/DC.

Have you got the Phil Rudd ciggie in the mouth groove down?

(Laughs) Nah, nah, nah, I think it’d take a helluva long time to get that beat right.

Now did I hear one of your old stomping grounds in your home town of Warrnambool burnt down recently?

Yeah, the Criterion Hotel, yeah I think they said the top floor had been gutted, i think it was some kids playing around in there.

What sort of link did you guys have to the Criterion?

Oh man, that’s where we played our first shows at the Criterion Hotel, it’s also where we spent the first six months of 2009 working on songs for No Guts No Glory. Yeah, we had the keys to the pub

Do you guys get back to the Bool much?

Yeah well, it was really just that writing period, not really I mean we’ll be out on the road for two years with No Guts No Glory and there’ll be pockets of touring out in Australia as well you know.

Are you guys based in Melbourne when you’re in Australia?

Yeah Melbourne, head down to Warni sometimes, just where ever we end up you know, I mean we don’t own houses or anything given the rich budget the band operates on (laughs.) We just find mate’s couches, it’s alright.

Now it wasn’t that long ago you fellas were coming up through the Warrnambool ranks, now on paper you guys look like an overnight success, is that a fair comment or not?

Not really, no, I mean my brother Joel and I started when I was 11, our first show was when I was 13, from when I was about 15 we started taking it seriously, touring a lot. So if we go from when I was fifteen, that’s excluding the four years prior, if I’m 23 that means we’ve been doing it 8 years.

So it’s hardly overnight

Not really, but in the world’s eyes, fair enough you know, it’s obviously pretty hard to get over here and tour so luckily we were embraced when we first came over, the shows have grown organically.

As you said earlier it’s been a slow grind in Australia, but was it different overseas? Were you embraced straight away by those markets?

Yeah, yeah, the show being what it is now helps a lot, I mean we can walk into a venue and not be surprised that’s it’s a 3,500 head room filled to capacity you know. It’s kind of strange when that’s the case when we used to build a whole six months of a 900 capacity show in Australia, we’d be all excited and you know, build a tour around playing at the corner in Melbourne or something.

But now we’re overseas, it’s just a day to day thing, it’s insane but it’s also something we hold very dear to our hearts. That’s why we’ve got a semi trailer with us, it’s why we’re throwing every last cent we have at the show to make it that much better every night and we’ll continue to do so as long as our fans keep coming to the shows.

And to help the business side of things I hear you’ve just inked a new international deal with Roadrunner records.

Yeah Roadrunner will be releasing the first record as well as this one worldwide and when we were leaving Emi they gave us our album back and they sort of said if you could keep one of our smaller brothers in Australia then that would be great, so we did, EMI Australia have been great, they’ve worked really hard building the band, it’s been good.

And what will Roadrunner be bringing to the table?

We basically it’s going to be a huge worldwide release, everything from German vinyl to a lot of tours and a lot of things like that and Roadrunner and just really getting behind it worldwide.

Do you think you’re entering a period of stability on the label side of things?

Yeah I guess so, I mean the more you achieve the more that’s the case I would imagine, yeah I definitely think so. It’s good to be able to work on the second album with the label because as you’d know there’s a lot more understanding of the band.

So on the material front, the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll charter that the band is so well known for, how much do you live it and how much of it is just for show?

Well hence the cough throughout this whole interview mate I’d say I’m bloody well living it (laughs then coughs, and then laughs.) We were on a ferry last night drinking way too much but you know, everything in moderation including moderation itself. We never want to ruin anyone’s show and we’ll never let it ruin an Airbourne show because the shows are so very important but it’s also important to have a good time.

Very Important

So you only get to live once and we make sure we do, so yeah the saying I live by is everything in moderation including moderation itself

Have you come across any bands out on the road that you couldn’t keep up with on the partying front?

Well, probably just the one man, Lemmy, he just outdoes everyone.

When was your last encounter with Lemmy?

I guess it would have been touring in Europe last time, we did some shows over here at the end of 2008 and it’s just always great to be out with the great man and it’s always amazing to see him consistently delivering the Motorhead show.

And I suppose he delivers at the after parties as well does he?

He absolutely does! He’s still got the chicks hanging off him, it’s great.

Well sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, in order, which do you love the most?

Well i always like to say sex, rock ‘n’ roll and alcohol, I mean I don’t mind having a toke on a doobie every now and then as we all do, each to their own, or when in Amsterdam, but basically it’s gotta be rock ‘n’ roll for sure, absolutely.

The others can battle it out for second and third eh?

Yeah, and they definitely do fight it out I can tell ya!

If anyone wanted to argue with that wisdom, their case would have ran out of steam around the time Amorosi’s recent single Who I Am hit the top of the ARIA charts affirming her second wind.

Now with the strongest record of her career on shelves, the singer seems comfortable in her almost unrecognisable new skin.

RedHotPie took some time out with the sizzling soulstress recently to chat about the Hazourdous nature of playing it safe in the music business and the singer’s revitalised career.

(RHP) Hey Vanessa, how are things?

(Vanessa Amorosi) Really good thanks

And where are you today?

I’m in Melbourne

Ahh, not out on the farm then?

No, I still have the farm but I only head out there if I get some time off, but I’m usually in the city at the moment.

Well speaking of cities… Gothenburg, that’s a fair way from the farm, you did the new record there; how did that come about?

Well I had been doing a lot of writing in America, and I finished the album there but I didn’t like it, so on the way back home I had a stop off in London and someone told me about these Swedish producers MachoPsycho so, obviously I wanted to check it out. I went there for a day and loved it; I just fell in love with the boys and in that one day we wrote three tracks and they were really open to ideas and very cool with me saying a lot of things you know. It’s hard for people to take risks, I mean everyone wants to follow what’s working for other artists, but I really had a sound I wanted that wasn’t the most commercial vibe say so it was a little scary.

I often found Australians and the Swedish folk getting along quite well

Yeah I think it’s our humour, we’re quite cool in taking the piss out of each other

Yes, the language barrier makes things interesting but there’s a bit of that larrikin spirit on both sides

I love the MachoPsycho boys and I speak to them a lot now and I’m still writing and doing things for other people but yeah it’s been amazing, I’m so wrapped that I went there because in the beginning I was like, Sweden really? That’s a long way out of my way but thank god I checked it out.

I hadn’t heard you had finished the album in the States before scrapping it, what went wrong on the first go?

It was just too safe, I mean I’ve been in the industry for ten years and the last thing I want to do is play safe and you know, I had a lot of things I was ready to put into that album, things I wanted to say that I’ve never had the confidence to say in the past. Yeah that was what annoyed me, and the sound wasn’t what I wanted, it just wasn’t cool

And did you put that down to where you were at creatively or the people you were working with?

I think I was trying to make a record I thought people would want to listen to rather than making a record that was truthful and that was a problem. I’d be going into the studio and it was a case of ‘hey lets write about this because it’s safe, the melody is safe, the chord is safe, yeah that line there, I’ve heard it before so it’s safe’. When I finished it, the album just wasn’t exciting so I figured if I’m not excited about it, I can’t expect anyone else to be excited about it.

Did you have to take a deep breath before making the decision to start again?

Oh yeah, it was a pretty scary moment because it was due and we really needed to run with it so I’m really glad I went with my instincts and pushed myself a little harder and put a bit more on the line.

I guess a lot of people are intrigued by the label side of things, so when you go to the record company and say, well the albums done but you can’t have it, how does that conversation go?

Well it was more like ‘here’s the record but I hate it and I’m making another one’ (laughs). I’ve got a great team so it went surprisingly well, I mean it’s such a fast paced industry now, showbiz, time is money and if you’re wasting time, things can get really tough and there were the consequences from my disappearing for too long before Summer In The Real Word, being gone for like eight years or something crazy.

Well you mentioned your time away; I read you spent a lot of it over the last few years behind the desk studying music production.

Awesome, I love that side of things, the only thing is it takes me twice as long as other people to get things done; because by the time that I’m whipping it and I’m moving along, I go away and do a record and I don’t come back for year and a half and then when I get back on the computer I get frustrated because I can’t go as fast as my brain is moving. And then they bloody upgrade everything and everything is in different orders.

I guess it opens a lot of doors musically when you have your head around that side of things though. The material you’re bringing out now is really layered, there’s a lot going on, most vocal artists rely on session guys to play a lot of the stuff but you’re having a crack at some it yourself

Yeah, I’m playing all of it… badly

You’re following in the footsteps of Dave Grohl

Yeah I always wanted to be a guitarist, but I am no guitarist. It all works in the studio because I can just chop it and get it in time, as far as having a great feel and having that extra bit of something I call in the big guns for that. It’s good to able to play the instrument to a degree so you can at least say, well this is kind of the idea.

Well you need to be able to communicate with the big guns when they roll up you know

Exactly, and if you’ve got drummers coming to play on a track it’s good to know exactly what groove you want when you’re pointing to the snare or the tom or the ride, and you need to know what exactly you’re pointing at, you can’t just stand there saying ‘yeah so when you hit the snare, then you hit that drum, and if you hit the kick use that cymbal thingo there,’ cause they’ll think you’re a total idiot.

And are you slinging guitars live?

Yes, I’ve been doing that for a couple of years, I’ve been playing guitar since I was a kid but I never wanted to get on stage and play guitar in front of my guitarist, because he’s a gun and you never want to play next to a gun, so you know, I’ve got the courage now to get out there and play a few tunes you know.

I also read recently that you’ve never had vocal lessons and don’t believe in them, does that only pertain to your own voice only or everyone’s?

For me it’s all been about my ears and creating a sound, I don’t know how I’d go to a vocal teacher, describe a sound and have them tell me how to produce it. Everybody’s throat is different and everybody hears things differently, so I think it’s a more unique and credible way to learn by studying yourself; go to a room listen to a whole bunch of singers you get into and start singing, and I mean hours of it every day, I mean I know everyone needs to do these vocal exercises and warm up things which work for them, it just never has for me.

So in the five minutes before you walk on stage there are no scales being sung?

No, I think as a kid I always found it quite embarrassing so I never did any of the stuff. I remember when I was younger and I first toured with Jimmy Barnes, he was just about to walk on stage and he started doing these big screams, and we were in this little tent and I just wasn’t ready for it, you know, I’d just done my set and I was coming back and tucking into some sandwiches and Jimmy comes over, grabs a sandwich and goes YEEEEAAAAH right next to me and I nearly fell over!

I think we’re making good progress here, I think your warm up phobia could have been caused by Jimmy Barnes.

No, I even remember all the kids when I was in school doing the warm up drills, the ma me ma me, that freaked me out but suddenly when you see Jimmy Barnes do it, it becomes cool. So yeah, I still haven’t got around to trying it, but if I do ever warm up, I’m gonna do it like Jimmy

So you just walk on cold, that’s pretty punk rock

Laughs, yeah I think it’s because I talk so much, all day very day, I’m well and truly warmed by the time I hit that stage every night

Now something else people might not know about is your own music collection, I heard you’re into heavier stuff like Tool, Faith No More, Mr Bungle and the like?

Yeah I grew up in a little country town and that’s what we were into. Yeah I remember when I went to see The Tea Party for the first time, changed my life!

And will you be making it to Soundwave this year to catch the Faith No More reunion?

Yeah I really hope so.

And what about you, what have you got on the horizon; Rob Thomas is just around the corner yeah?

Yup, we have a bunch of shows beforehand and then I’m off with Rob Thomas, I think it’s going to be amazing, I mean the Day on the Green gigs are just so cool.

And how do you find support gigs generally?

Well this one is gonna be pretty groovy for us, I mean we get an hour on stage so it doesn’t really feel like a support thanks to Rob. I have done supports where I’ve been petrified; I mean I supported Kiss when they came out.

How was that?

Yeah it worked but everyone was saying ‘it’s not the right tour Nes’ but I just said let’s just do it. I remember when we walked out on stage and the guys were like ‘I’m gonna kill you if they egg us,’ but it worked I mean we went out and did and old seventies number to start, a little bit of Janis Joplin, and I just said ‘I know you all know me as a pop singer be tonight we’re gonna rock,’ so it was all cool after that.

And did Mr Simmons put the moves on you after the show?

No.

No? He didn’t?

No, which was nice, nah he wasn’t creepy at all.

You weren’t insulted?

No and you wouldn’t be if you’d saw him in real life, he’s a bit scary. But no, I became friends with Paul, we got along really well so Gene was very cool and very business-like, thank god.

Katie is working her way though a line of writers, sent forth by various publications to get the latest from one of Australia’s premiere vocal talents. The siren is visibly swept up in the process but remains composed and accommodating. She’s mid way through her current press junket promoting her latest record, Blackbird: The Music Of Lennon & McCartney, a selection of Beatles tracks penned by the revered writing duo.

From the get-go Noonan’s demeanour is controlled yet free flowing and it’s clear that things on the whole are pretty good. “Life’s fantastic” says Noonan through a generous smile. “Happily married, two really great children; we’ve just moved to a wonderful mountain community just outside of Brissy, we’ve made a big lifestyle change, you see we’re becoming sustainable living hippies… It’s called Mt Glorious it’s a tiny little community at the summit of a big rainforest about 45 minutes out of Brisbane, and we’ve got about two and a half acres of amazing rainforest. No television, solar powered, rain water so yeah, I’m looking forward to embracing all the changes and challenges that that life brings, you know, chickens, composts and worm farms”.

The sea-change isn’t that amazing when you consider Noonan has always carried herself with a hippie infused cosmopolitan bent – sheik but practical, couture yet grounded. It’s an air that has endeared her to fans throughout the years, but now with two small children to add to the equation, the move makes sense.

“I’ve been wanting to get out of the city for years, it’s just so noisy” sighs Noonan. “Just so much white noise, but mainly now, it’s because of my kids; I want them to grow up with greenery and fresh air and a sense of community, I really think social isolation is a modern illness”.

Noonan’s success has allowed choice, a luxury that isn’t afforded most modern musicians, a fact the singer is well aware of. Since George’s last show, Noonan has engaged several projects including her group collaboration Elixir, she’s toured and recorded with her mother, Maggie Noonan, she’s put out a solo record and then a dance remix of said record. Now, it’s Blackbird: The Music Of Lennon & McCartney, an album of Beatles classics arranged and performed by Noonan and some of the planets most capable jazz musicians.

“So my first memory (of The Beatles) was at the conservatorium of music when I was ten” recalls Noonan. “We sang If I Fell in the choir and I just loved it, I thought it was an incredible song, and I didn’t know what I thought was incredible about it. And then, well I kinda grew up on classical music and pop, I mean The Beatles didn’t come until way later, probably my first year out of school. George had just started and we had Abbey Road on vinyl and that record absolutely changed my life… I just loved how they keep moving through musical styles and kept you guessing about what’s coming next. That was a huge inspiration for me as a musician and a huge inspiration for George because we always wanted to not fit into a category”.

Noonan’s love for the Liverpool lads is apparent and very real; most interestingly it is adorned by a wider love of not only these musicians, but the time in which they created this magical music. Noonan’s fascination with the 1960’s is strong and deep. As she reels off names such as The Doors, Janis Joplin, Hunter Thompson and the like, she beams like a child recounting Christmas.

“It was just a freaky time for creating new stuff” she says. “I wanted to tap into that era, get inspired by it and just really strip it back, because The Beatles were the kings of simplicity, and less is more, and creating songs that could touch people. I mean the music, you could sing along to it, but just under the surface things were incredibly complicated and strange and weird and wonderful, and that’s the greatest trick, making music that crosses over without being inaccessible or highbrow like jazz often is… my only fear was that people would think I was doing one of these concept records that’s just about rehashing the originals… my approach to this was more like the Johnny Cash approach to U2 or Trent Reznor, the stuff he did a few years ago with Rick Rubin, that was more my vibe and I just felt there was a real synergy politically, artistically and musically between jazz and The Beatles”.

Noonan knew that to do such revered material justice, the musicians she would need would be of the highest calibre Luckily, fate assembled for Noonan an amazing cast of all star session legends, guys like Ron Carter (Miles Davis’ long-time double-bass player), drummer Lewis Nash, saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarist John Scofield and Melbourne-based keyboard player Sam Keevers.

When quizzed on the difficulty of getting such a group together Noonan claims little credit. “Well I met Joe Lovano through all these happy accidents chuckles Noonan. “We had a lot of common ground musically, I thought he’d be perfect for this project so I told him about the record I wanted to make, this intimate free thing I was going for and he totally got it. He suggested this band and I was like “holy shit, that’s pretty much the greatest band in the world” and freakishly, they were all into it, they all loved the idea and they were all available which was just another sign for me that this was all supposed to be”.

So what if you’re not one of the gang? What if your music couldn’t be filed anywhere between denim rock and art-chic electro? How good would you have to be to beat the spread and come in winners? Well, you’d have to be number one; you’d have to top the pile and connect with the masses… luckily for Augie March, that’s all sorted.

After cutting their musical teeth in the small Victorian town of Shepparton, the future members of Augie March would all find their way to the state’s capital for schooling and general mischief.

After having crossed paths due to friendships and associated siblings, the aspiring musos would find each other and form the nucleus of Augie March, a strange bird indeed, in possession of magical feathers capable of captivating a country.

RedHotPie got to spend a little time with Augie March drummer Dave Williams to chat about their new record Watch Me Disappear, the Neil Finn connection and karaoke with Mandy Moore.

(RedHotPie)

So the band rocketed to prominence from a little country town in Victoria called Shepparton which is known more for it’s fruit production than music, how did Augie March come to be?

(Dave Williams)

Well I did my high school years in Shepparton, I was born in Melbourne and grew up in the Eastern Suburbs and then moved to Shepparton from late 87 till I finished up high school. The band didn’t really start in Shepparton, it started in Melbourne; I mean myself and Adam (Augie March guitarist) were old friends from when we were 14, we lived behind each other and we’d play music together so we were actually living together in Melbourne.

Glenn (Augie March singer/guitarist) was my older brother’s friend, and Glenn was already down here in Melbourne and had begun playing music. He knew that I played the drums, so we had a couple of jams and he dropped off a demo tape and that’s kinda how it got going. I mean I’d seen him play, and me and my mates had played in the garage and done a few covers gigs around Shepparton, it was all fantastic, and that was before Triple J had arrived up there, I mean it was just before I left that we’d got FM radio up there.

So Shepparton can’t really lay claim to too much of the Augie March success story?

Well I guess it can because we met there, it made us want to go out and see the rest of the world, to really strive to follow our dreams.

Speaking of dreams, you guy’s had a huge breakthrough with your third full length album, Moo You Bloody Choir, but you’d done a lot of work before that, tell us about your earlier stuff.

Well we actually recorded our first long player in 2000 (Sunset Studies), and when we released that album we got a lot of “where the bloody hell did this come from”, and I mean we’d already been playing around for four years and released a couple of EPs. So we had been slowly plying our trade, getting better at what we did and when the first album came out we got a bit of action from that, Triple J became aware of us and a lot of the community stations, no real commercial action.

The second record (Strange Bird) was quite a bit more arresting actually, more arresting musically and in its lyrical themes. I mean some fans dropped away when we released that record, but over seas, I mean that’s the record that made America sit up and listen. So we toured Australia and just when that tour was coming to an end we got some interest from an American label. So we went over there and had a chat with them, then an American agent got interested and asked if we’d like to be represented over there which we did because he’s fantastic.

Then BMG and Sony merged and we didn’t know if we were actually going to be kept on the roster. We were kind of an anomaly in the major label world, we were this funny little band that didn’t really sell many records but critically people got into; so when the merger happened they ended up deciding to keep us.

That kinda pushed everything back a bit, hence us not releasing a record for a couple of years. So yeah, we made Moo, and then we had to wait another six months because the record company didn’t think it was the right time to release it, and internally that was very difficult for us to handle, just sitting on our hands. In that period, Glenn actually went out and did his own little solo record, just so he wouldn’t murder people, but eventually we released One Crowded Hour and it’s just kept going from there.

Well yeah, it really took off, ending up with the number one spot on Triple J’s hottest 100, what sort of impact did that have for you?

Well apart from journos mentioning it, I mean it goes on the CV, but it really just showed us that people connected with us; a lot of people connected with the band and with that song and it just suggests to me that a band that doesn’t do hype, who didn’t come down in the last shower or are worried about what they look like, a band that focuses on the music, I mean we’re really ugly looking guys, really ramshackle, but that song, it really cut through the clutter and it shows that when a song connects, it can move lots of people to do things you know.

And was that validating for you guys on some level?

I don’t know about validating but it was certainly surprising, I mean when you hear a song you can often think, yeah that’s a great song but you never think people will be moved to vote for it… but yeah, it was just a bit of fun actually, we took some time and sat around, sipped a bit of wine and enjoyed the idea of that.

And why not? So let’s move on to the new record, I read somewhere you had recorded it in Neil Finn’s studio.

Well yeah, it’s a studio that Neil built that’s available for anyone to record in. He bought an old building in Auckland, built a few studios in there and eventually built an apartment upstairs for him and his wife to live in. So we went there for a month with an American producer called Joe Chiccarelli who’s worked with The White Stripes, The Shins, My Morning Jacket, so yeah we did four weeks there and then we came back to Melbourne and did a couple more weeks of over dubs and then Glenn and Adam went and mixed the album with Joe in L.A.

Had the Neil Finn hook-up come from the fact you guys had toured with Crowded House?

Well no, it was just that we wanted to go somewhere a bit different to record the album; we weren’t really too crash hot on L.A so Glenn got online and found that The Roundhead (Finn’s studio) was up and running so it was a nice little compromise to be able to go somewhere and really focus on the record 24/7 and just get away from distractions.

Awesome, so now it’s a touring game and then what? You guys have spent a lot of time touring the States too haven’t you?

Oh yeah, we went there three times last year.

We’ve seen a lot of Aussie bands invest in that market and if it doesn’t pay off it’s a costly outlay, how is it going for Augie March, are you seeing return for your efforts?

Not really, if you wanna make an imprint into that scene you’ve got to act like an American band which means you’ve got to live there or keep going back there for a year, tour relentlessly. So we were only doing month long tours, and I mean they were pretty gruelling in their own little way for us, driving around. If you don’t have a big label behind you over there it really is like starting again.

Get in the Van style

Yeah, it was a good shot of realism, this is what you got to do, so we’re trying to be strategic about those things, we don’t want to burn out or anything because after the last tour, things got a bit intense and tempers got frayed.

If nothing else, most bands bring back a great American tour story, is there anything like that in the Augie files?

Yeah man, there was one show were we played to five people in Detroit Michigan in a place called the Magic Stick which is a 900 head room and a bowling alley and a pizza shop as well. So we played the gig, to five people, three of them were Aussies. After the gig we go downstairs and we’re having a pizza and some guy sets up a karaoke machine, apparently it’s karaoke time… so I’m with the guys and I thought, yeah I want a sing, so I wandered over and I’m choosing a song when this woman comes up and says “hi, are you gonna have a sing?” and I said “yeah, I’m gonna have one” and she goes “I got something to tell you, Mandy Moore is out there and she needs someone to sing with her, are you willing to sing with her? So I’m like “ha-ha, yeah right, piss off, good one, off ya go, yeah Mandy Moore’s here, so is Anthony Keidis, he’s over in the corner”. So she knicks off and then she comes back and says “no really, why don’t you just come outside” so I said “ok then” and I went out there and there’s Mandy Moore on this massive tour bus, and apparently this woman was her tour manager and they had a night off were trying to shake it up a bit but I’d already chosen my songs, a few Police songs you know, and I asked if she wanted to sing those and she said no, but I asked her what she was doing at The Magic Stick and she said “oh I’m here with my friends The Beastie Boys, so I look inside and there’s the Beastie Boys on their night off, bowling with their body guards, so yeah, that was a funny night.

So you provided the soundtrack for Mandy Moore and the Beastie Boys’ night off

Yeah well I sent them scurrying into the bowling alley if nothing else, they couldn’t handle me, I don’t think I was singing that well that evening anyway, I may have blown out a vocal chord or two.

Augie March’s new album Watch Me Disappear is out now through Sony/BMG

Seen Augie March? Got their records? Let us what you think of the interview, the band and their music in the feedback area below!

Favorite RedhotPie Members Songs to Make Love To:

• Beautiful- Pharel & Snoop Dog
• Lets Get It On -Marvin Gaye ( Thanks for the correction Luv_my_tongue)
• Lets Get It On -Marvin Gaye ( Thanks for the correction Luv_my_tongue)
• Light my Fire – The Doors
• This is Hardcore – Pulp
• Smack My Bitch Up – Prodigy
• Fucking You Tonight – R Kelly
• Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
• Snoop Dog- Doghouse
• You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
• Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard
• Lovin‘ Touchin‘ Squeezin‘ – Journey
• I Like The Way You Move – Bodyrockers
• Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me – U2
• Like a Virgin – Madonna
• Fuck Her Gently – Tenacious D
• Eye of The Tiger – Survivor
• The Final Countdown – Europe
• Smack My Bitch Up – Prodigy
• I’m in Love With a Stripper -Mike Jones
• Fucking You Tonight – R Kelly
• Moaner- Underworld
• Knockin‘ Boots – H-Town
• Light my Fire – The Doors
• Love Dump – Static-X
• Cock Pushups – Tenacious D
• Barry White – Deeper and Deeper
• Barry White – You Sexy Thing
• Barry White – Can‘t Get Enough of Your Love
• Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing
• We Will Rock You – Queen
• You shook me all night long – AC/DC
• Butthole Surfers- Other Peoples Eyes (Submited by johnpulse)
• Making Good Love – Avant (Submited by izzy_69)

Send in your favourite love making tunes to community@redhotpie.com.au.