2011 has been a big year at RocKwiz. Shows at Byron Bay BluesFest over Easter, another 12 episodes in the can,  DVDs of the first 3 series released, a Christmas album out, a Christmas tour, and a festival appearance at Pyramid Rock to close the year out. 


Next year we will be recording 12 new episodes and presenting RocKwiz Live at several festival events, including celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Zoo. 


We're also planning another national tour for later in the year.


Thanks for all your support in 2011 and our very best wishes to you for the new year. Rock on in 2012!


HAPPY NEW YEAR...!

RocKiwiz on CTV

We've long wanted to have our friends across the Tasman to be able to watch RocKwiz on one of the broadcasters there, but unfortunately none of them have ever picked it up, so we've decided to gift-wrap and give six episodes, each one featuring at least one Kiwi musical guest, to the most worthy of causes.


At lunchtime on 22 February 2011 a devastating earthquake struck Christchurch rupturing roads and bringing down buildings including the six story CTV building that housed an English Language school and provided offices and a broadcast base for the Canterbury region's popular community television station. 


Sixteen CTV staff lost their lives that day and the community lost it's heart and some of it's most recognisable faces. By April the station was back on air and we have offered this support to them as they continue to rebuild their station and approach the first anniversary of that tragedy while still enduring major aftershocks.


The six episodes we have chosen each feature at least one Kiwi musical guest and will premiere on Saturdays at 9.30pm and repeat the following Wednesdays at 10.30pm.

14 JANUARY  2012

Tim Finn and Lilith Lane

21 JANUARY 2012  Don McGlashan and.

 Jenny Morris 

28 JANUARY 2012
Jess Cornelius and Mike Rudd

4 FEBRUARY 2012 

 Ben Salter and Kimbra 

11 FEBRUARY 2012

Hayley Mary and Jon Stephens

18 FEBRUARY 2012 

 Dave Dobbyn and Anika Moa

Series Nine - Episode 12

One of the first artists to lock into this series was Amy Findlay from Stonefield, although we did have to do a bit of a date juggle to make it work because between the time Amy was booked and her scheduled appearance, Stonefield had played Glastonbury and things began to move rapidly for them.










Nick Barker has been on the whiteboard for a long-time but it was when Brian Nankervis started working with him on Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be - The Bon Scott Story that things started to firm up. Nick and Amy had met together before at a songwriting workshop so it seemed a natural fit, and the results were outstanding!










This episode also featured The Dirty Dozen Brass Band who just happened to be in town from New Orleans and Brian managed to convince them to come along to be Fan's Choice.

LINKS

Amy Findlay - Through The Clover

Nick Barker - Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile)

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Blackbird

Duet - Itchycoo Park

Full Episode

Stonefield MySpace

Nick Barker Website

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band  Website

The Twelve Songs Of Christmas

T'was the week before Christmas and all around nothing stirred, 

so we thought we'd count down the days with a few of our own tunes.



all songs available via iTunes

12 CHRISTMAS TRAIN by The BellRays

John Paul Young and Vika Bull

11 LITTLE DRUMMER BOY by David Bowie and Bing Crosby

Tex Perkins and Tim Rogers

10 CHRISTMAS MEDLEY 2007

The Wolfgramm Sisters, Jade Macrae, Joe Camilleri

9 JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS by Low

Holiday Sidewinder and Glenn Richards

8 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! by Slade

Liam Finn, Jade Macrae, Tex Perkins, Clare Bowditch, Chelsea Wheatley, 

Angie Hart, Tim Freedman, Paul Kelly, The Wolfgramm Sisters

7 HEY GUYS! IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME by Sufjan Stevens

Sally Seltmann and Dan Kelly 

6 THE CHRISTMAS SONG by The Raveonettes

Sarah Kelly and Toby Martin

5 RIVER by Joni Mitchell

Angie Hart and Tim Freedman

4 HOW TO MAKE GRAVY by Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly, Dan Kelly, Ashley Naylor

3 2000 MILES by The Pretenders

Adalita

2 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

Tex Perkins and Clare Bowditch with Joe Camilleri

1 CHRISTMAS from Tommy by The Who

Tim Rogers

BONUS TRACK!
(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING by Nick Lowe
Joe Camilleri, Tim Rogers, The Wolfgramm Sisters.

Series Nine - Episode 11

One of the legends of Australia's 60s music scene was Ronnie Charles. He was lead singer of The Groop, a band that featured Brian Cadd, and they won the prestigious Hoadley's Battle Of the Sounds in 1969. Ronnie spent a long time in England making music before returning to Australia in the late 70s. He still plays around Melbourne fronting Ronnie Charles and The Retro Bandits.

Described as having a sound combining PJ Harvey, Cat Power, and Joni Mitchell, Tasmanian-born Lucie Thorne came to our attention when her album "Black Across The Field" was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize in 2009. Her next album "Bonfire Of The Vanities" was shortlisted again for the 2011 AMP so we just had to get her on the show. The duet was suggested by Ronnie, and their mutual love of Dylan is evident in this wonderful cover.

LINKS

Lucie Thorne: Can't Sleep For Dreaming

Ronnie Charles: Woman, You're Breaking Me

Duet: The Times, They Are A Changin'

Full episode

Lucie Thorne Website

Ronnie Charles Website

Series Nine - Episode 10

We have had the beautiful and talented Kate Miller-Heidke on RocKwiz before, way back in 2007, and we just had to have her back on the show.  Eagle and The Worm have been playing their fun party sounds round Melbourne for a while now and bat-eared fans of the American TV series Bored To Death may have recognised their song All I Know on an episode. So we put the wonderfully humble Jarrad Brown with Kate and they chose to cover Beyonce's Crazy In Love. Jarrad bought the Eagle and The Worm horn section with him as well, so we fully exploited the situation and had all horn Million Dollar Riffs for this show!

LINKS

Jarrad Brown - Too Young

Kate Miller-Heidke - Are You Fucking Kidding Me (The Facebook Song)

Duet - Crazy In Love

Full Episode

Eagle And The Worm Website

Kate Miller-Heidke Website