The folks at King Sound Studios at  Level 2, 822 George St, Sydney know all too well that independent artists appreciate every little bit of help they can get. To celebrate their new affordable recording packages, King Sound have been doing a little bit extra by running ‘King Hit’, a competition in which artists have the opportunity to win recording sessions and other prizes from sponsors such as Audio Technica and Sailor Jerrys to name just  a couple.

The competition is open to all indie artists. All you need to do is follow the link below and upload one of your demos. The best entries will be posted and the best song will win one of our new recording packages valued at over $500!

https://soundcloud.com/groups/king-hit-1

Tommy Emmanuel is currently on tour in America but a couple of weeks ago while in The Netherlands he caught up with Russian born classical guitarist Igor Presnyakov to record a few tunes. Here’s the pair performing a beautiful version of Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears In Heaven’ at the Presnyakov Music Studio in Amsterdam

Swedish guitar legend and king of the shred-heads, Yngwie J. Malmsteen has been blowing minds across the globe with his incredible guitar skills and showmanship for over 35 years and in February 2015, Yngwie and his band will be returning to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in a decade.

Malmsteen is venerated as one of the founders of the art of guitar shredding. His neo-classical style and the sheer speed of his playing made him the most notable musician in the genre, and he has influenced a new era of music and guitarists alike.

But Yngwie is not known purely for the speed with which his fingers fly up and down the guitar neck. Yes, Malmsteen’s playing is fast, but there’s a crystal clarity to each of his notes that few can imitate. From his ground breaking early work with Steeler and Alcatraz, through his time alongside Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as a member of G3, to his more recent forays leading the Guitar Gods there are few that can compare to Yngwie J. Malmsteen.

Over more than 25 astounding albums the Grammy nominated Malmsteen has unleashed countless fretboard blistering solos, with both Fender and Marshall honouring him with his own model guitar and amplifier.

Don’t miss your chance to see the Master of the Stratocaster live in person, and for those extra dedicated fans there are VIP tickets available granting access to an exclusive Q&A session, and for a few very lucky fans the extremely rare opportunity to meet Yngwie J. Malmsteen in person.

“Far from just being a high-speed and volume artist, his deep knowledge of music theory differentiates him from other shredders.” – High Octane Music News

Yngwie J. Malmsteen Australia & New Zealand Tour Dates:
February 5th – Powerstation, Auckland, NZ
February 6th – The Metro, Sydney
February 7th – The Forum, Melbourne
February 8th – The Tivoli, Brisbane
February 10th – Hellenic Hall, Hobart
February 11th – HQ, Adelaide
February 12th – The Astor, Perth

General Public onsale date – Thursday 2nd October 12.00 midday AEST
From: www.tombowler.com.au/yngwiemalmsteen

MELBOURNE MUSIC BANK FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Now it’s time to vote!
After being inundated with hundreds of submissions from Victorian music artists, Bank of Melbourne has announced the 12 finalists of its community-driven music initiative, Melbourne Music Bank.  The public is now invited to vote for their favourite and narrow the field to four semi-finalists.  The chosen four will perform their song at the Melbourne Recital Centre in front of an expert panel who will determine the 2014 winner of Melbourne Music Bank.

The 12 finalists span genres including folk, pop-rock, hip hop and instrumental: Alex Brittan, Boyeur, Davies West, Heloise, Matt Walters, NY, Richard Cashion, Rick Steward, Selki, The Lion, This Public Life and Under The Arch.

Public voting is open until Sunday, October 12.  Voters can share in fantastic weekly prizes including Melbourne Recital Centre tickets, iTunes vouchers and tickets for a hot air balloon ride with Melbourne Music Bank Ambassador Ella Hooper.  To learn more about the finalists, listen to their songs and cast a vote, visit bankofmelbourne.com.au/melbmusicbank

“We are thrilled to celebrate Victoria’s local music talent with Melbourne Music Bank. It’s exciting to support the music community and give the winner a head start to their career,” says Bank of Melbourne Chief Executive Scott Tanner.   

In July, Melbourne Music Bank asked local musicians and bands to submit a song inspired by Melbourne. The career-making prize up for grabs includes two days of recording at Sing Sing Studios, a video clip by film maker Wilk, live gigs, album artwork, 500 CDs, PR and marketing advice and the chance to have their song used in a Bank of Melbourne advertising campaign.

Melbourne Music Bank Ambassador Ella Hooper told Australian Musician that she felt one of the biggest advantages of winning this competition is not only the actual prizes but the experience and education that comes with it. “I think one of the most amazing thing about this prize for people who may not have experienced this before, is the education that you can get from going to a world class studio, the education you get from making a video,” says Ella. “Every time I do those things, as an artist who has been doing it for 17 years, I learn so much. You take what you learn from one studio experience and you take it into the next one and you build on that. At a studio like Sing Sing you reach to match the opportunity and you stretch and that education never goes away, it stays.”

Cast your vote at bankofmelbourne.com.au/melbmusicbank