For Week 8 of my internship I had to finish up a piece that was left over from last week, I also had to a box plot for Savvy and interview a local group who have organised an open mic night. However, I also received one very exciting job, an interview with Brisbane band and one of the feature artists from Triple J's unearthed artists - Hungry Kids of Hungry!
Like last week I had two hours to "kill" before any of my interviewees were available. I simply used this time to research, and organise my questions while tightening up the article that was left over from last week (which was incomplete as there was a second party I had to interview but whom I could not get in contact with last week).
All of interviews went great and my interviewees gave me brilliant answers which made writing the stories much easier. The interview with the Hungry Kids of Hungry was an interesting one as the front man almost gave me too much information! Don't get me wrong, too much is far better than too little but when I first looked at the transcript I felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of information that was there! Over the weeks I have sort of come up with a system, building the body of the story first and then using whatever quirky anecdote the interviewee reveals as the lead. Then I usually link the bottom paragraph to the top paragraph. This isn't what I do for every single article, but it is usefully whenever I am feeling overwhelmed by the mass of information I have collected.
Till next week my fellow interns....
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week seven of Internship
Week seven of my internship was a slow one...to begin with anyway. The first two hours were spent playing phone tag with my interviewees, but I chose to use this time to re-work question and do whatever research I could. I had three stories to complete for The Guide and one for Savvy. The Guide stories were an interview with a pianist who was performing two shows in Townsville, a local DJ who won the coveted opening spot at Godskitchen Worldwide and a profile of local band who were entering battle of the bands.
Now, the only probably with band and DJ interviews is that the likely hood of them answering their phone at 9:30 in the morning is slim, at best. Needless to say I left voice messages but continued to ring every 20/30 minutes anyway...just in case. I knew I had to go out with a photographer at 2pm and I had to ring the pianist at 11am (as this was the only time he was available) so I had to try and organise my other stories around these factors. As fate would have it, at 10:50 the local band returned my phone call! I apologised and asked if it was ok if I rang him back in 15 minutes because I had another interview lined up, Lucky he was a very mellow guy so that didn't bother him at all.
The interview with pianist went great and he gave me some great quotes. So, I rang the local band back to discover that my interviewee was in the middle of ordering Subway - but he wanted to do the interview anyway...DO NOT DO THIS! A few minutes into the interview I knew this was a mistake, I don't know if my interviewee was just shy or if he was simply more interested in his lunch then doing an interview. It was one of those situation where I would ask a question like "So are your lyrics taken from personal experience or are they more general?" and he would respond with "Yeah, some are taken from personal experience and some are general."
I got the impression that normally he would have been a good interviewee, but I just rang at the wrong time. Fortunately I have another person I am going to interview next week to get some background info on the "battle of the bands" comp, so I am going to combine the two lots of information and I am sure it will turn out fine.
The DJ I had interview was much more giving. She had a really vibrant personally and gave great quotes, so writing her story was very easy. However, I have to admit that while I am a BIG music freak I have absolutely no interest in techno/DJing. This was very obvious as she was talking about House Music vs Trace music and who her influences were. I had to ask her about seven times how to spell the names of the DJ's she admired...despite what you have heard ignorance is not bliss...but besides that I really did enjoy the story -both the interview and the writing of it.
In the afternoon I went out with the photographer (yes out into the real world!) to do the "5 minutes with and "A guy's view" for Savvy. We went to the JCU creative Art building as the Photographer was also taking pictures for another news story. Honestly, I was feeling a little nervous about going up to complete strangers, but honestly the hardest part was the first 10 seconds when you go up and introduce yourself - after that it was smooth sailing. And as it turns out, Uni kids are more than happy to talk to journo's - if it means they don't have to work on their uni assignment for 10 minutes.
I ran back to the bulletin, put the finishing touches on the DJ story and then quickly wrote up the four Savvy interviews I had done. While Week seven began slowly I was in a made rush by the end of the day to get everything done. I did really enjoy this week however, because I was really feeling the pressure of time - something I haven't felt most weeks.
Now, the only probably with band and DJ interviews is that the likely hood of them answering their phone at 9:30 in the morning is slim, at best. Needless to say I left voice messages but continued to ring every 20/30 minutes anyway...just in case. I knew I had to go out with a photographer at 2pm and I had to ring the pianist at 11am (as this was the only time he was available) so I had to try and organise my other stories around these factors. As fate would have it, at 10:50 the local band returned my phone call! I apologised and asked if it was ok if I rang him back in 15 minutes because I had another interview lined up, Lucky he was a very mellow guy so that didn't bother him at all.
The interview with pianist went great and he gave me some great quotes. So, I rang the local band back to discover that my interviewee was in the middle of ordering Subway - but he wanted to do the interview anyway...DO NOT DO THIS! A few minutes into the interview I knew this was a mistake, I don't know if my interviewee was just shy or if he was simply more interested in his lunch then doing an interview. It was one of those situation where I would ask a question like "So are your lyrics taken from personal experience or are they more general?" and he would respond with "Yeah, some are taken from personal experience and some are general."
I got the impression that normally he would have been a good interviewee, but I just rang at the wrong time. Fortunately I have another person I am going to interview next week to get some background info on the "battle of the bands" comp, so I am going to combine the two lots of information and I am sure it will turn out fine.
The DJ I had interview was much more giving. She had a really vibrant personally and gave great quotes, so writing her story was very easy. However, I have to admit that while I am a BIG music freak I have absolutely no interest in techno/DJing. This was very obvious as she was talking about House Music vs Trace music and who her influences were. I had to ask her about seven times how to spell the names of the DJ's she admired...despite what you have heard ignorance is not bliss...but besides that I really did enjoy the story -both the interview and the writing of it.
In the afternoon I went out with the photographer (yes out into the real world!) to do the "5 minutes with and "A guy's view" for Savvy. We went to the JCU creative Art building as the Photographer was also taking pictures for another news story. Honestly, I was feeling a little nervous about going up to complete strangers, but honestly the hardest part was the first 10 seconds when you go up and introduce yourself - after that it was smooth sailing. And as it turns out, Uni kids are more than happy to talk to journo's - if it means they don't have to work on their uni assignment for 10 minutes.
I ran back to the bulletin, put the finishing touches on the DJ story and then quickly wrote up the four Savvy interviews I had done. While Week seven began slowly I was in a made rush by the end of the day to get everything done. I did really enjoy this week however, because I was really feeling the pressure of time - something I haven't felt most weeks.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Josh Rawiri profile
A bon fire lights up a Broome beach, as musician Josh Rawiri chows down on Kangaroo while learning how to make a rope from the animals skin.
`I was up in Broome and playing a gig when I met this bloke who taught me how to run under water, we ate kangaroo and he taught me how to utilies the animal by make a rope from its skin` said Josh.
`One of the best parts about being a musician is the people I get to meet,` he said.
Following the release of his debut album, Josh is returning to Townsville on the back of his national tour.
`I have been to Townsville one time before, lots of young people who like to party but also a nice place to relax and take it easy,` he said.
After spending 12 months writing the album, Josh is happy to see the music translate live.
`It is really good to play live and interact with people,'
`The album is really diverse which is good, because there is nothing worse then when each song sounds the same as the next,` he said.
`I really did not want to make an album like that.`
With influences such as Bob Marley, Ben Harper, John Butler and rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Josh has developed a unique sound.
`It is a fusion between rock, reggae and blues with guitar work.`
`They aim of my music is to get people together so people can let go of their inhibitions and interact with each other,` he said.
A self taught musician with the ability to play four types of guitar, harmonica and sing, it is hard to believe that Josh original started out as a chef.
`After I finished my chief course I decided I wanted to follow through with music,'
`I started off playing Sunday sessions and then went on to open mic nights,` he said.
One of Josh's more memorable gigs occurred at the Bondi Hotel.
`A footy team were really excited by the music and everything, a few of them got naked, that was defiantly one of the funniest things I have seen.`
Kangaroo skin rope and naked footballers - no doubt that Josh will collect more memorable tales as he continues his national tour around Australia.
Joshs Townsville gigs are September 18 The Exchange Hotel, September 24 Molly Malones, September 25 The Australian, September 26 The Imperial Hotel and October 1 Molly Malones, all at 8:00pm
`I was up in Broome and playing a gig when I met this bloke who taught me how to run under water, we ate kangaroo and he taught me how to utilies the animal by make a rope from its skin` said Josh.
`One of the best parts about being a musician is the people I get to meet,` he said.
Following the release of his debut album, Josh is returning to Townsville on the back of his national tour.
`I have been to Townsville one time before, lots of young people who like to party but also a nice place to relax and take it easy,` he said.
After spending 12 months writing the album, Josh is happy to see the music translate live.
`It is really good to play live and interact with people,'
`The album is really diverse which is good, because there is nothing worse then when each song sounds the same as the next,` he said.
`I really did not want to make an album like that.`
With influences such as Bob Marley, Ben Harper, John Butler and rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Josh has developed a unique sound.
`It is a fusion between rock, reggae and blues with guitar work.`
`They aim of my music is to get people together so people can let go of their inhibitions and interact with each other,` he said.
A self taught musician with the ability to play four types of guitar, harmonica and sing, it is hard to believe that Josh original started out as a chef.
`After I finished my chief course I decided I wanted to follow through with music,'
`I started off playing Sunday sessions and then went on to open mic nights,` he said.
One of Josh's more memorable gigs occurred at the Bondi Hotel.
`A footy team were really excited by the music and everything, a few of them got naked, that was defiantly one of the funniest things I have seen.`
Kangaroo skin rope and naked footballers - no doubt that Josh will collect more memorable tales as he continues his national tour around Australia.
Joshs Townsville gigs are September 18 The Exchange Hotel, September 24 Molly Malones, September 25 The Australian, September 26 The Imperial Hotel and October 1 Molly Malones, all at 8:00pm
Tim Griffin Profile
Local family man Tim Griffin is about to exchange his blue collar status for a guitar strap, as he heads to Bayron Bay to record his debut album.
“I’m singing for all the battlers of the world,” he said.
Tim’s blues, roots and reggae influence music is accompanied by personal lyrics inspired by his own life.
“I write about real experiences and that’s why it connects to people, because it’s the same thing everyone goes through,’
“I’ve written one song called the “Company man” after I was pissed off at work,’ he said with a chuckle.
After working odd jobs at meat works and other non-descript occupations that “nobody else wanted to do,” Tim’s dream is becoming a reality.
“All my friends are really excited saying this is my big break but I’m just trying to keep my mind on the job so I can go down there and do my best.”
Tim is definitely a local boy, with one song on the album titled “King of Castle Hill.”
“The song is basically about what naughty people get up to when they go up to Castle Hill,” Tim said laughing.
“I really want to put something out that Townsville can be pound of just trying to keep my head in check at the moment,” he said.
One of Tim’s biggest highlights over the years has been meeting his mentor and friend Willie Hona.
“He was in a New Zealand called “Herbs” that were really popular in 80s.”
“Willie Hona is the father of South Pacific Reggae, not only has he influenced me musically but personally, he is a very humble man,”
A trait that Tim himself certainly possesses.
“I have sixteen songs ready to go when I hit the studio,” said Tim.
“I have been playing this stuff around Townsville for the past 8 years, a catalogue from the last 10 years of songs I have written in that time.”
“You know they have stood the test of time because I can play them now and it sounds like they have just been written.”
Lately, Tim has made a move towards more positive lyrics.
“Of late I have been focusing on up lifting peoples spirits,’
“Trying to write a lot of positive songs to show people who are done in the dumps that there is a lot of life out there to be lived.”
At the end of the day however, Tim says it is his family that inspire him the most.
“Everyone out there that knows me knows that I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family.”
Balancing a blue collar on his neck and a guitar strap across his back, Tim’s most important role is the hat of a family man.
“I’m singing for all the battlers of the world,” he said.
Tim’s blues, roots and reggae influence music is accompanied by personal lyrics inspired by his own life.
“I write about real experiences and that’s why it connects to people, because it’s the same thing everyone goes through,’
“I’ve written one song called the “Company man” after I was pissed off at work,’ he said with a chuckle.
After working odd jobs at meat works and other non-descript occupations that “nobody else wanted to do,” Tim’s dream is becoming a reality.
“All my friends are really excited saying this is my big break but I’m just trying to keep my mind on the job so I can go down there and do my best.”
Tim is definitely a local boy, with one song on the album titled “King of Castle Hill.”
“The song is basically about what naughty people get up to when they go up to Castle Hill,” Tim said laughing.
“I really want to put something out that Townsville can be pound of just trying to keep my head in check at the moment,” he said.
One of Tim’s biggest highlights over the years has been meeting his mentor and friend Willie Hona.
“He was in a New Zealand called “Herbs” that were really popular in 80s.”
“Willie Hona is the father of South Pacific Reggae, not only has he influenced me musically but personally, he is a very humble man,”
A trait that Tim himself certainly possesses.
“I have sixteen songs ready to go when I hit the studio,” said Tim.
“I have been playing this stuff around Townsville for the past 8 years, a catalogue from the last 10 years of songs I have written in that time.”
“You know they have stood the test of time because I can play them now and it sounds like they have just been written.”
Lately, Tim has made a move towards more positive lyrics.
“Of late I have been focusing on up lifting peoples spirits,’
“Trying to write a lot of positive songs to show people who are done in the dumps that there is a lot of life out there to be lived.”
At the end of the day however, Tim says it is his family that inspire him the most.
“Everyone out there that knows me knows that I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family.”
Balancing a blue collar on his neck and a guitar strap across his back, Tim’s most important role is the hat of a family man.
Week six of internship
Week six of my Internship was excellent! I firstly got to do an interview with a local musician Tim Griffin who has been working the Townsville pub scene for the past 10 years. Tim has decided to finance his own debut album and release it independently. He made for a great interview and gave some really great quotes. Originally the piece was only suppose to be 300 words but I felt the story really deserved more and Isis told be to go for it and write what ever length I felt was necessary. I was thankfully for this because it meant I got to include a lot of interesting information and paint a more full picture of the musician then I would have been able to in the smaller word limit.
The second story I had for the day was an interview with a musician Josh Rawiki who had recently released his debut album. Josh had had a bit of a crappy morning with his tyres blowing out while he was driving to a gig so I was glad that I even got the interview. I was a bit worried afterwards as I hadn’t nailed down any great stand out or inspiring quotes. Luckily however I did receive to anecdotes from the musician so I was able to include those, which was great as it gave the piece was colour.
The third story I received actually required me to leave the office...yes you heard correct folks, no phone interview for this one!! A face to face interview with the manager from DanceNorth studio. Now admittedly the story only had to be 150 words but I was pretty happy that I was finally getting to meet one of my interviewees instant of talking to a disembodied voice. I actually walked to meet my interviewee as DanceNorth studios is just around the corner from the Bulletin. That was convenient as I had to meet the manager at 11am and be back at the office to interview Josh the musician at 12pm sharp. All in all week seven was a very productive week, while same may look and think I ONLY had three stories, I didn’t stop once all day! It was great. :) And to top it off I will have three full length profiles in next week Guides so believe me I am a very happy intern.
The second story I had for the day was an interview with a musician Josh Rawiki who had recently released his debut album. Josh had had a bit of a crappy morning with his tyres blowing out while he was driving to a gig so I was glad that I even got the interview. I was a bit worried afterwards as I hadn’t nailed down any great stand out or inspiring quotes. Luckily however I did receive to anecdotes from the musician so I was able to include those, which was great as it gave the piece was colour.
The third story I received actually required me to leave the office...yes you heard correct folks, no phone interview for this one!! A face to face interview with the manager from DanceNorth studio. Now admittedly the story only had to be 150 words but I was pretty happy that I was finally getting to meet one of my interviewees instant of talking to a disembodied voice. I actually walked to meet my interviewee as DanceNorth studios is just around the corner from the Bulletin. That was convenient as I had to meet the manager at 11am and be back at the office to interview Josh the musician at 12pm sharp. All in all week seven was a very productive week, while same may look and think I ONLY had three stories, I didn’t stop once all day! It was great. :) And to top it off I will have three full length profiles in next week Guides so believe me I am a very happy intern.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Week five of Internship
For my fifth week at the Bulletin I was assigned two stories and then a short re-write piece. The first story was a profile on local band Voodoo cats. I was extremely happy to do this piece because not only do I love profile but anything to do with music is an easy sell for me. When I was given the story, I recognised the band name and realised that I had actually seen them perform on numerous occasions at one of my previous waitressing jobs. So it was great that I already knew who they were. The interview went well, and it was the first time I have ever interviewed more than one person at a time (speaker phone - two piece band- you do the math). Writing the story went fairly well, I knew straight way that there were 3 different ways I could write the story, the hardest part however was choosing a catchy lead and a neat tie off for the ending. I chose to go with the classic technique of linking the last paragraph to the first. Fingers crossed that editor approves and performs only minimal changes to the piece.
The second write up was on an Elvis and Roy Orbinson Tribute show at Jupiters. The usually phone tag situation occurred where I'd ring the contact they wouldn't answer and they would ring me when I had stepped away from my computer. This was a little frustrating because I need to get into contact with Jupiters to get the contact number of one of the performers that I needed to interview. Fortunately I had done my first two stories before 12 so at least I had a bit of time to play with.
After I got into contact with Jupiters, I was told that there were only a handful of tickets left, and those were expected to be sold by the end of the day. Which made me think - is there any point in writing an article about an "Amazing Tribute Show" that no-one can get tickets too? Unfortunately both Isis and the feature editor were not in, and the chief of staff was also a bit unsure about whether or not to write the article.
After talking to the women who use to edit the Guide, she suggested that I write a little 100-200 word piece on the Jupiters Tribute show. I never recieved the contact information from Jupiters, but because I only had to write 100 words it didn't matter, I just used the little information I had. For the rest of the afternoon I did a couple of re-writes from media releases. The thing that is challenging with these pieces is the temptation to spit out the information and not putting a great deal of effort into them - because they are only 100 words. I am trying not to have that attitude, and to care about every little story and blurb I write, but the temptation is always there!
The second write up was on an Elvis and Roy Orbinson Tribute show at Jupiters. The usually phone tag situation occurred where I'd ring the contact they wouldn't answer and they would ring me when I had stepped away from my computer. This was a little frustrating because I need to get into contact with Jupiters to get the contact number of one of the performers that I needed to interview. Fortunately I had done my first two stories before 12 so at least I had a bit of time to play with.
After I got into contact with Jupiters, I was told that there were only a handful of tickets left, and those were expected to be sold by the end of the day. Which made me think - is there any point in writing an article about an "Amazing Tribute Show" that no-one can get tickets too? Unfortunately both Isis and the feature editor were not in, and the chief of staff was also a bit unsure about whether or not to write the article.
After talking to the women who use to edit the Guide, she suggested that I write a little 100-200 word piece on the Jupiters Tribute show. I never recieved the contact information from Jupiters, but because I only had to write 100 words it didn't matter, I just used the little information I had. For the rest of the afternoon I did a couple of re-writes from media releases. The thing that is challenging with these pieces is the temptation to spit out the information and not putting a great deal of effort into them - because they are only 100 words. I am trying not to have that attitude, and to care about every little story and blurb I write, but the temptation is always there!
Voodoo Cats profile
It was a Friday night in a low-lit restaurant, local band Voodoo Cats were performing and doing everything within their power to keep a straight face.
“I was playing the piano and this drunk woman was doing a Scooby Doo interpretation two inches from my face, it was pretty hard not to laugh,” said Lisha.
Voodoo Cats is made up of Lisha Kayrooz on piano and melodica and Nicholas Mitchell performing lead vocals, guitar, and stomp box.
“We can get a dance beat going with the stomp box or a mellow feel with the piano,” said Nicholas.
The acoustic duo focuses mainly on blues, roots and reggae, with much of their set-list formed from older and sometimes lesser known tunes.
“If you were to look at our repetiteur you would see a wide range from Cat Stevens and Eric Clapton up to Cold Play,” said Lisha.
Voodoo Cats aim to bring a fresh sound to their slightly more aged radio hit covers.
“We change the arrangements around so it is more unique and suited to what we do, reinterpreting them,’
“We get a lot of good feedback on our song choice,” said Lisha.
This wide range is a reflection of their own personal music preferences “I Like different styles of music pop-rock, soul and Rn’B” said Lisha
“I like Beatles but I also like heavier stuff like tool so there is a wide range,” said Nicholas.
Voodoo cats pet project for the last few months has been creating a lounge feel at Irish Finnegans.
“We play Friday and Saturday nights offering an alternative to loud pub rock,’
“People can chill out without being drowned out by loud music,” said Lisha.
In between their regular performances, Voodoo cats also perform at functions and weddings.
“The songs that get the best reactions are “I’m yours” Jason Mraz and “This is love” David Gray, which seems out of place because it is this big love ballad but it gets a very positive response,” said Nicholas.
Fingers crossed that those positive responses continue, minus the Scooby Doo interpretations.
“I was playing the piano and this drunk woman was doing a Scooby Doo interpretation two inches from my face, it was pretty hard not to laugh,” said Lisha.
Voodoo Cats is made up of Lisha Kayrooz on piano and melodica and Nicholas Mitchell performing lead vocals, guitar, and stomp box.
“We can get a dance beat going with the stomp box or a mellow feel with the piano,” said Nicholas.
The acoustic duo focuses mainly on blues, roots and reggae, with much of their set-list formed from older and sometimes lesser known tunes.
“If you were to look at our repetiteur you would see a wide range from Cat Stevens and Eric Clapton up to Cold Play,” said Lisha.
Voodoo Cats aim to bring a fresh sound to their slightly more aged radio hit covers.
“We change the arrangements around so it is more unique and suited to what we do, reinterpreting them,’
“We get a lot of good feedback on our song choice,” said Lisha.
This wide range is a reflection of their own personal music preferences “I Like different styles of music pop-rock, soul and Rn’B” said Lisha
“I like Beatles but I also like heavier stuff like tool so there is a wide range,” said Nicholas.
Voodoo cats pet project for the last few months has been creating a lounge feel at Irish Finnegans.
“We play Friday and Saturday nights offering an alternative to loud pub rock,’
“People can chill out without being drowned out by loud music,” said Lisha.
In between their regular performances, Voodoo cats also perform at functions and weddings.
“The songs that get the best reactions are “I’m yours” Jason Mraz and “This is love” David Gray, which seems out of place because it is this big love ballad but it gets a very positive response,” said Nicholas.
Fingers crossed that those positive responses continue, minus the Scooby Doo interpretations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)