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Gotyettes
Welcome to our website, dedicated to the phenomenon that is Wally De Backer
Home>News Archive>Jul-Sep 2013
Photo: John Shearer
July 2013
Photo: theage.com.au
FUNDING FOUND!
July 23-28, 2013
Great news with the Australian Government agreeing to meet the funding shortfall for the community radio sector. Looks like the awareness generated by Wally and other high profile musicians has paid off. PM Kevin Rudd also visited with Wally and others at Marieke Hardy’s Pledge dinner (in support of SLAM), where they chatted about saving live Australian music and its importance!
YOU CAN'T ALWAYS WIN!
No win for Wally at The Helpmann Awards on July 29, but it was no shame to lose out to true Aussie music legends Paul Kelly and Neil Finn. You can’t win em all, hey? Meanwhile, STIUTK dropped out of the American Top 40 after an astonishing 69 week run on July 14. Amazing!
GOTYE SUPPORTS PALACE THEATRE
July 9, 2013
Wally also showed his support for Melbourne’s iconic live music venue, the Palace Theatre, which is under threat and may close. Fingers crossed it is saved.
CHUCKLES & SMILES
July 2-4, 2013
If you’re up for a laugh (and who isn’t) you need to watch the Making Of Easy Way Out video that Oh Yeah Wow uploaded this month. There are some crazy moments, especially one Wally bit that will have your eyes popping! In other Gotye video news, Nacho Rodriguez and Gina Thorstensen received a ‘special mention’ for their beautiful video ‘Giving Me A Chance’ at GMAC Fest Anca.
EDGING CLOSER TO THE BASICS' SHOWS IN OZ
The boys have released a brand new video for the single So Hard For You this month. To further wet our appetites, they’ve uploaded several new t-shirt designs to Red Bubble, including some featuring the art work of several fans. What lovely recognition for these talented people! Still with Basics news, Kris made an appearance on Good Morning Arkansas where he was interviewed and performed live. If you missed it, you can watch it here. We are getting excited for the video interview that fellow fan Stephen Scott has organised to do with The Basics prior to their Brisbane Festival show. He has invited those of us in the fan community to ask questions that he will ask Kris, Tim and Wally. Should be a lot of fun!
TIM SHIEL ON THE SPOT
Gotye touring band member Tim Shiel delighted all this month by offering a free download of his entire Faux Pas catalogue. He also wrote an amusing blog piece about his experiences touring with Gotye and crew as they performed live around the globe and met some pretty amazing people. Aaaah, sweet memories. Tim also spoke to Ableton Liveschool, with a Q+A about the techniques and tools used in his solo projects and about life on the road with Gotye.
TWO OF A KIND
July 20, 2013
This month we have welcomed a heartwarming article about the close friendship between Wally and his producer pal Frank Tetaz, as told from both perspectives in their own words. It’s a truly lovely story.
Photo: Hugh Hamilton
MORE ACCOLADES FOR WALLY'S VIDEO MAKERS AND FRIENDS
On August 23, Peter Lowey, who directed and animated the Save Me video, won the Qantas Spirit of Youth award and Darcy Prendergast, of Easy Way Out fame, finished as runner up. Meanwhile, Nacho Rodriguez received a ‘special mention’ at Supertoon Festival for his beautiful video Giving Me A Chance.
WALLY SHOWS HIS SUPPORT FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS
Wally continues to champion the rights of asylum seekers in Australia. He visited the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), helped prepare food for their Hot Potato event and appeared on tv show The Project to promote the initiative. Later in the month, he held a Hot Potato night in his own home with Tash and encouraged others to do the same.
Wally planking, before or after napping?
... AND THE BASICS ARE BUSY BEEEEEZZZZ
August 29
August 29th was a big day for The Basics as they made several appearances and performances. Firstly, the Music Feeds live stream (photos) where they had a brief chat and performed a 25-minute set. There we saw a fantastic acoustic version of "So Hard For You" for the first time. Later in the evening, they appeared on Australia’s Channel Ten Late News program. Enjoy their interview and performance.
The Basics finished off their busy day with a special industry gig on Albert Music’s rooftop in Sydney. But it wasn’t all work, with the guys tweeting this fun pic of Wally planking!
Tim Shiel going through the live setup for Gotye. Photo: Liveschool.
WALLY'S FRIENDS ARE BUSY BEES...
Tim Shiel was a speaker at Ableton’s INPUT workshop in Sydney on August 10, sharing his expertise with the next generation of music makers.
Another close friend of Wally’s, Franc Tétaz, spoke with Sonic Scoop about “pursuing weird and wonderful work” in this in depth interview.
Also, fellow music man Tommy Spender sat down with Tonedeaf to chat about their collaboration and more. It has also been announced they have been joined to make the clip for "Hotel Home."
THE BASICS ARE EVERYWHERE... AND LOOKING GOOD!
Still with The Basics news, Port Macquarie’s Festival of The Sun have announced a Basics show for December 13th. Golden Lucky Good Time spoke to Kris about his work in Kenya and reforming the band and Canberra’s BMA Magazine has Wally, Tim and Kris on the front cover this month and a new interview inside. Friend and brilliant photographer Cybele Malinowski and the boys had a photoshoot, where she captured some amazing new images of the band.
THE BASICS WARM UP BEFORE THEIR NATIONAL TOUR
August 8-17- 22, 2013
Kris’s offered a solo show on August 8th at Grace Darling, where he performed a handful of The Basics songs, as well as a memorable cover of Gangsta’s Paradise. Later in the month, The Basics performed a free ‘secret’ warm up gig at the Post Office Hotel. Mar was in attendance and she captured the first live performance of "So Hard For You". By all reports, the show was lively and humorous and the mates on stage had a great time performing to the pub crowd. A couple of days later, The Basics were part of the Rock The Boat line up at the Northcote Social Club, in support of Green’s candidate Adam Bandt. Both MxMelbourne and Faster Louder interviewed Wally prior to this benefit gig and Brisbane Festival ‘Take 5’ interviewed Kris. Seems The Basics are ready for the tour proper to begin!
TWO GOTYETTES ADMINS TOGETHER IN MELBS
August 8-11
Two of the Gotyettes admins met up for the first time in person in Melbourne! Yes, these two bonza shielas are the gals behind the Gotyettes tweets. A truly unforgettable and special time for Mar and Jacqui, who attended Kris's solo gig as well as Spender's, who recognized them the moment they introduced themselves. Many anecdotes to tell; not enough space here, unfortunately.
TRIPLE R APPEARANCES
August 5, 2013 / August 14, 2013
Wally, Kris and Tim are gearing up for the return of The Basics , with their Aussie tour kicking off next month. Kris and Tim appeared on Triple R for a chat and played a new song they had only just learnt in the carpark! Later in the month, Wally also visited the Triple R studio with his lovely lady Tash Parker, in support of the station’s Radiothon. They performed a sweet version of The Weepies' tune, “Keep It There.”
BILLBOARD IS LIVING A CELEBRATION AND STIUTK HAS BEEN INVITED
August 2, 2013
"Somebody That I Used To Know" has been named 29th Most Popular Song of All Time on Billboard’s Top 100 Anniversary list, to celebrate their 55th birthday.
August 2013
THE BASICS' TOUR ROUND THE CORNER!
September 1 & 4, 2013
The Basics' "Ingredients and Leftovers tour" is about to start, so promotion and engagement are due! Kris has called into ABC Local Radio for a quick chat about the upcoming Basics tour. Also, The Basics and Brisbane Festival have held a live twitter chat for fans. Heaps of fun!
September 2013
SHE'S A KILLER QUEEN
September 3, 2013
“Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra” has been named one of the 10 Most Killer Cover Songs of the Past Decade by Rolling Stone.
PUZZLE WITH PIECES MISSING
September 6, 2013
The Gotyettes have a surprise coming for all of you soon! What will this puzzle be once all the pieces are revealed? You won’t want to miss it!
LIKE DRAWING BLOOD PLAYLIST JUST UPLOADED ON YOUTUBE
September 5, 2013
The moment has come for all Gotye fans to enjoy Like Drawing Blood on YouTube. Enjoy the playlist!
FBI TURNS 10 WITH GOTYE
September 5, 2013
FBI Radio celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a celebration mixtape, which of course includes Gotye. They were one of the first stations to support Gotye music, welcoming his first demo back in 2004.
Photo: Cybele Malinowski
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
September 9, 2013
On the day before the tour kick-off (and of Australia’s Federal Election, incidentally), The Basics have sent a newsletter where they express their eagerness to play some new material. Wowsers!
We have also got to know some of their favourite tunes through their mixtape published on Four Thousand.
SOUNDING BETTER, LOOKING BETTER
September 6 & 7, 2013
This September 6, The Basics have been on ABC Dig Music to play a three-song acoustic set at the “Untidy Desk.”
It seems this month will be packed with interviews. We have also been treated to Kris's interview with Mixdown, where he tells us about the sweet times The Basics are living at the moment.
The Basics on ABC Dig Music
PINCUS AT BIGSOUND
September 10, 2013
Director and screenwriter, Natasha Pincus was an invited speaker at this year’s Bigsound event in Brisbane. During a panel on 'Visual Identity', according to the AU Review, she pointed out it is essential to have enough time to come up with concepts for projects, especially when the budget is scarce. Pincus, who worked with Gotye for the "Somebody That I Used To Know" clip, said that Wally did take that into account and so he showed her the song in its earliest stages, before even Kimbra had come onboard.
RUB A DUB DUB, 3 BASICS IN A BRISSIE TUB
September 12 & 13, 2013
The boys have played two huge shows in the Spiegeltent at the Brisbane Festival. The early show showcased their older pop tunes, while the late show was full of rock and new material. The reviews are, of course, esplendiferous.
Although it’s “time for Gotye to go back to Basics”, ‘De Backer isn't going back to basics completely. Gone are the days when he helped write the band's press releases and mailed them out along with CDs. "We were booking our own gigs," De Backer says, "doing our press releases and doing the artwork. I guess I'll be hoping to enjoy it a bit more this time rather than have to chase everything, or trying to send emails and all that stuff."’
Getting back to The Basics has also been positive for Kris, as ‘playing bass in a band there's no real danger of dying from malaria, which was a very real danger for Schroeder in Kenya.'
BACK TO AARDVARK!
September 17, 2013
Gotye has visited the young folk at Aardvark today. It’s not the first time Wally “lends a musical helping hand” to this organisation along with Monique Brumby, Aardvark Creative Director and Aria award-winning artist. We totally agree with Monique Brumby’s words: “Having guest artists like Wally coming in every month or so and run a workshop is a massive part of the program. The kids get very excited but it also breaks down the mystique or preconception that a lot of young people have that famous people are different to them. It empowers them and inspires them.”
PUZZLE WITH NO PIECE MISSING
September 14, 2013
We had a moment of crisis after we realised that Emma had sucked up the last piece of our puzzle, but we are finally able to reveal the big surprise!
Sabah Ingvarsson's artwork on our G-man's chest. Ooooooooooh!
ONE MORE THE BASICS GIG FOR 2014
September 17, 2013
It has just been announced that The Basics are doing a festival show next February in Echuca: The Riverboat Festival. The festival takes place at Aquatic Reserve – Heygarth Street. They play at 6:30pm on Saturday 15th. You are not to miss them!
GOTYE ONBOARD AT SPECTACLE: THE MUSIC VIDEO EXHIBITION
September 18, 2013
It is clear that Gotye’s music videos are not just like any music video. Besides playing an important role in Gotye’s last tour, appearing at the stage backdrop perfectly synchronized with the live music, they complement and give life to the imagery that Wally conveys with his music. Therefore, the announcement of Gotye’s panel at Spectacle is great news and so Melbournians cannot miss this event on Nov 18 at ACMI. Wally De Backer, along with some of his collaborators (film-makers N. Pincus, D. Prendergast, and directors of Rubber House animation studio I. Dixon and G. Sharp.) will discuss the creative process behind Gotye’s quirky music videos, from the initial concept and development, through to final clip production.
Imagine the surprise to hear Penny Terry say that The Gotyettes and The Basicettes had indicated her how to pronounce Gotye correctly. A few hours after the interview, and prompted by this mention, Jacqui Rooney, Mª Mar Suárez and Sabah Ingvarsson have started setting up The Basicettes on Twitter and on Facebook, now live and kicking with the help of Luísa Amado (aka Gotye Portugal) as well.
THE BASICS (AND THE BASICETTES) ON HOBART ABC
September 19, 2013
The Basics have been invited to Your Afternoon for an interview with Penny Terry and a 3-song live set, including their latest single "So Hard for You" (watch it live in the Garage studio), "The Lucky Country" (for the first time on radio) and their cover of Richard Berry's "Have Love Will Travel". It wasn’t an acoustic set this time for the guys, with them setting up their instruments in the garage. What a treat!
THE BASICS KILL IT IN FRONT OF 60 PEOPLE IN LAUNCESTON
September 19, 2013
The Basics have played tonight at Fresh On Charles in Launceston to a crowd of approximately 60 privileged people who have had the chance to jam to their lively tunes and enjoy their chit-chat on stage. Visit the photo album of this gig on Fresh On Charles' Facebook.
KRIS SCHROEDER AND TIM HEATH REFLECT ON THE BASICS' CAREER SO FAR
September 19, 2013
Kris and Tim recall The Basics’ history from a professional development point of view in this interview published today. Tim affirms he sees now what could have “hindered” their career as The Basics, unlike what happened with Wally’s side project as Gotye. Kris also admits that, to him, Wally’s side project as Gotye was like having Wally ‘sticking around with a girlfriend that was openly cheating on you.' But maybe open relationships are the way to go in the modern world? It can enrich you as a couple.’
FOR BUSTING MEDIA DOMINATION
September 23, 2013
We found out today that Wally supports New Internationalist Magazine (they report on action for global justice). They are seeking funds to take their magazine into the digital age. You can pledge your support and grab some signed Gotye goodies at the same time. It’s a win, win for everyone!
THE BASICS BREW AT HOMEBREW
September 23, 2013
Kris popped in to PBSFM 106.7 this afternoon, and co hosted "Homebrew" (66' in), playing some of The Basics favourite Australian songs of all time. They kicked off by playing Wally’s cover of Quasimodo’s Dream with Perfect Tripod (48') and later in the program you can hear 'That Girl', a Basics tune rarely played on the radio.
NEW APPRECIATION, NEW TOUR
September 22, 2013
In this interview for The Age, Kris ponders the present political situation in Kenya and how he sees life in Australia at the same time that he affirms that The Basics’ Ingredients and Leftovers tour has arisen ''(a)s a result of trawling through all the material and gaining a new appreciation for your own work.”
HOBART BOUND WITH HOY
September 20 & 21, 2013
The Basics, supported by HOY, have played two sold-out shows at the Republic Bar & Café in Hobart. By the looks of the pictures taken by some fans, the guys have been as approachable as always and have had a blast.
While being in Hobart, Wally has been interviewed for Aphra Magazine, where he has retold us a very funny anecdote of a pretty wild night that took place a few years ago at the same venue.
Of course, it would be a sin to be in Hobart and not visit the MONA, so after an interview for HO FM all the troupe have taken the ferry to the museum and enjoyed the beautiful views (and the chilly weather) on their trip.
You can also read this little story HOY has shared with The Basicettes of their time together with The Basics.
From left to right: Michael Hardy (drums, vocals), Scott Finch (bass), Matthew Collins (vocals, guitars), and Michael Watson (guitars)
GET FAMILIAR WITH THE FAMILIARS
- BAD HEADLINE, JUST BAD
September 24, 2013
Besides being reminded that Jake Rush, aka Louis Spoils, is supporting The Basics this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the real scoop today is that The Familiars are supporting The Basics as well at The Oxford Art Factory on October 4th. We can tell from first-hand experience (we saw them live at Grace Darling last Aug. 8) that they are a band not to miss. Check their EP and singles on iTunes and follow them on Twitter and on Facebook.
THE ONLY WAY IS UP AND US
September 24, 2013
From this interview that has appeared today in The Brag, we highlight this quote from Kris that shows the essence of The Basics as they are today:
(...) because we haven’t got anything to lose and everything to gain, so we can keep doing what we want.
While they do not have anything to lose, with their present tour there is just one way to go, and it is up! Their comeback is more than welcome by the audiences with sold-out shows, despite not having been supported by Triple J in the past. However, not being super stars or mainstream has allowed them to be true to their beliefs and style(s), to be them.
FOR BUSTING MEDIA DOMINATION
September 23, 2013
We found out today that Wally supports New Internationalist Magazine (they report on action for global justice). They are seeking funds to take their magazine into the digital age. You can pledge your support and grab some signed Gotye goodies at the same time. It’s a win, win for everyone!
Wally and Natasha Pincus at the STIUTK set. Source: ACMI blog
PINCUS REVEALS MORE ON STIUTK (INCLUDING UNSEEN FOOTAGE)
September 26, 2013
ACMI talk with film clip director extraordinaire Natasha Pincus about her incredible work with Gotye and Kimbra for the amazing STIUTK film clip in their second “Director Spectacle Showcase’ interview. The accompanying clip reveals behind the scenes footage and she explains some of the challenges of the shoot. It’s a definite must see for any Gotye fan!
LOUIS SPOILS AKA JAKE RUSH IS OUR FIRST COLLABORATOR FEATURE
September 26, 2013
Jake Rush, a long time friend of Wally’s, tells us a little about their relationship, what he’s learnt from Wally about recording and that he’s getting excited about supporting The Basics with his musical project Louis Spoils. There are a couple of funny anecdotes thrown in there as well! You can read more about it here. More Gotye Collaborator Features coming soon!
THE BASICS OF MEDIA AND SUCH
September 25 - 26, 2013
Media commitments abound for the Basics boys this week. Kris says “I think the Gotye factor will only be evident at festival shows” in this interview and Wally chats with The Sydney Morning Herald here. SMH also post a story about him ‘searching for (his) second success’. It’s particularly interesting to hear about The Basics’ struggle to receive airplay on Triple J and their alternative route to finding success in Beat Magazine. Kris also appeared on community radio with Peter Walsh (who, incidentally, a couple of us were introduced to by Kris in Melbourne at his solo show) talking about selling out shows and the possibility of recording again. The Basics were then ‘Broadsheet Melbourne’d” when the website posted this short story about them.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BASICS
September 26, 2013
The Basics continue with their Ingredients and Leftovers tour and this weeks it’s Victoria’s turn. They have played the Theatre Royal in Tim’s hometown of Castlemaine tonight and the locals are sure proud of their man! They then hit Melbourne for three huge sold out shows this weekend at the Corner Hotel and Northcote Social Club.
Wally De Backer and Tim Heath at the Royal Theatre Castlemaine
Wally De Backer and Tash at Northcote Social Club on Sep. 27.
HELLO MELBS!
September 27-29, 2013
The Basics are playing three shows in a row in Melbs (at Northcote Social Club on Sep. 27 & 28 and at The Corner Hotel on Sep. 29), where new but also long-time The Basics fans are going to have a blast. Granted.
September 27 was Tash's (@jouljet) turn, who has blogged repeatedly about her experiences at The Basics' gigs and met Wally after the gig.
September 28 was Chris Moffat's night. Chris (@ChrisMoffat3) reports on Twitter that "It was an absolute blast. Kris, Tim & Wally were on fire." She also highlights that Tim appeared on stage wearing a Hawthorn scarf and that "Wally re-tightened the clamps on his drums after every couple of songs."
The Basics' awesomeness was present as well at The Corner Hotel on September 29. Entertainment plus. The expectations for The Basics's future career are really high, and justified. Oh, and if you weren't there, you can always visit this pic gallery to get the vibe. The gig at The Corner Hotel was one of the gigs recorded for a future DVD live. Here's a preview of 'To Think Of You.'
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