Organisers of the 8th Australian Music Prize, better known as the Coopers Amp, have already shaken things up their selection process significantly this year, including removing the entry fee and automatically considering ALL Australian releases for the prize, while setting up a new platform for digital submissions rather than the previously restrictive ‘CDs only’ policy.
All resulting in a rather impressive long list of nominees for the $30,000 cash prize (courtesy of PPCA) that recognises an Australian artist based on the decision of a judging panel charged with selecting the Australian Album of the Year, with the ‘Long List’ of 47 official entrants coming to fruition last month.
The Cooper Amp has now selected one album to be part of the officially shortlisted nine, and along with the announcement, organisers are staging a free live concert in Melbourne to celebrate. The talented recipient is none other than Blue Mountains team, Hermitude, whose celebrated album HyperParadise is the first officially selected entrant in the 8th Australian Music Prize.
HyperParadise has already won the ears, hearts (and dancing shoes) of music media this year, taking out the Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album at the AIR Awards, as well as earning an ARIA nomination, winning a Triple J Award for Best Video and a J Award nomination for Album of the Year.
“We’re totally stoked as a predominantly instrumental duo to be short listed for The Amp!” said Hermitude of their shortlisting in the AMP.
Along with the announcement comes the birthing of Amp Alive, gifting music fans a free outdoor concert, to be held at Melbourne’s Federation Square on February 1st, 2013 ahead of the announced winner in March, featuring Hermitude who are also diving into a lengthy tour schedule for 2013, along with more acts to be announced in the New Year.“The end result is almost always going to carry with it some controversy but more importantly, it will instigate a discussion and celebration of Australian music” – Kevin Mitchell
Amp Alive will be hosted by Australian musician/singer/songwriter/coach, and occasional actress, Clare Bowditch, along with Jebediah frontman/Bob Evans linchpin Kevin Mitchell to help showcase some of the country’s finest talent in a special one-off performance as well as the official announcement of the fine nine shortlisted albums.
“Music matters, and that’s why I’m thrilled to co-host this year’s event,” said Clare Bowditch of her new post. “The Coopers Amp is about celebrating and rewarding excellent Australian artists for their excellent Australian music.”
“Their music may not be popular, or even widely known, and it may not even be on the register of other awards, or maybe it is, but either way, I support The Coopers Amp because it supports superb musicians, those whose songs become our companions for life,” said Bowditch.
Her fellow co-host added that, “The Amp awards will be able to showcase and celebrate the best of Australian music whilst also bringing to people’s attention the value and importance of Australia’s vital and thriving live music scene,” said Kevin Mitchell.
“The end result is almost always going to carry with it some controversy but more importantly, it will instigate a discussion and celebration of Australian music that hopefully reaches out to and engages with the broader community,” he says.
Indeed the changes and ‘tweaks’ to the Amp’s entry guidelines signals a further push to making the music prize as democratic as possible, in response to the controversy surrounding the ‘indie’ legitimacy of its entrants, and winners The Jezabels, for last year’s prize who issued a statement with their acceptance of the 2010 prize for Prisoner.
Sam Lockwood of the Sydney Band is among this year’s judges who include Chris Berkley, Deborah Conway, Dave Faulkner, Tim Freedman, Mike Glynn, Chris Johnston, Shannon Logan, Christopher Powell and Bernard Zuel.
The Coopers Amp Presents: Amp Alive
A free event featuring the best of 2012’s Australian music.
Hosted by Clare Bowditch and Kevin Mitchell.
with Hermitude + More To Be Announced
FRIDAY 1ST FEBRUARY, 2013, 6pm – FEDERATION SQUARE, MELBOURNE
The 8th Australian Music Prize Longlist
Alpine – A Is For Alpine
Angus Stone – Broken Brights
Archie Roach – Into The Bloodstream
Ball Park Music – Museum
Bearhug – Bill, Dance, Shiner
Bushwalking – First Time
Catcall – The Warmest Place
Catherine Britt – Always Never Enough
Charge Group – Charge Group
Children Collide – Monument
Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes – Baby Caught The Bus
Clare Bowditch – The Winter I Chose Happiness
Collarbones – Die Young
Daily Meds – Happy Daze
Deep Sea Arcade – Outlands
Dirty Three – Towards The Low Sun
DZ Deathrays – Bloodstreams
Emma Russack –Sounds Of Our City
Forty Thousand Sisters – Goodbye Broken Sled
Grand Salvo – Slay Me In My Sleep
Hermitude – Hyper-Paradise
Hilltop Hoods – Drinking From The Sun
House Vs Hurricane – Crooked Teeth
Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors – My Little River
Julia Stone – By The Horns
Knievel – Emerald City
Liz Stringer – Warm In The Darkness
Made In Japan – Sights & Sounds
Max Crumbs – Maidenhair
Missy Higgins – The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle
Oh Mercy – Deep Heat
Ollo – Ape Delay
Pond – Beard, Wives, Denim
Saskwatch – Leave It All Behind
Steve Lane And The Autocrats – The Romance Of Communication
The Bamboos – Medicine Man
The Hello Morning – The Hello Morning
The Maple Trail – Cable Mount Warning
The Presets – Pacifica
The Rubens – The Rubens
Tim Hart – Milling The Wind
Tim Rogers – Rogers Sings Rogerstein
TZU – Millions of Moments
Urthboy – Smokey’s Haunt
We All Want To – Come Up Invisible
Winter People – A Year At Sea
Xavier Rudd – Spirit Bird
