NEO: Latest News
Well we're all back safe from the NEO NT Tour. Driving what felt like 1 million kms down and up the Stuart Hwy from Darwin to Alice Springs and stopping past Katherine and Tennant Creek (and the Devils Marbles!) along the way. Many thanks go to all involved in the assistance of the tour including ArtBack, Diggers Den, The Lane, NoKTuRNL, and our flat tyre.
Darwin NEO fans have a couple of treats in store. Firstly, our drummer Crafty will be staying a bit longer than originally intended. Well, it's only a couple of weeks, but hey, its cool coz we get to perform at The Mindil Beach Markets Closing to 8,000 estimated people on Thurs October 27 + Darwin Entertainment Centre on Fri, Nov 4th.
Other good news is that between now and then NEO will hit the studio to get a couple of singles ready for promo of an up coming East Coast Tour during Jan/Feb '06. Yes, I'm excited too, can't you tell-can't you tell-can't you tell-can't you tell-can't you tell-can't you tell-can't you tell-??????????
NEO went super nova at the Earth Dance on Saturday! Thanks to all of you who came along and boogied to the NEO set. We all raisedthousands of dollars. for the Environment Centre - not including the $50 that Timmy collected for shaving his head during our first song.
Last Friday turned out a big success with Neo headlining Friday night’s ‘StarShell’ Event at the Darwin Botanical Gardens. There were even more people jumping around dancing than at the last Brown’s Mart show – is that even possible? Some top notch industry executives were there to check out Neo, or perhaps just work on their mojo... either way, all involved experienced tonnes of fun, even if the show was cut short. Thanks to all you groovers – you know who you are!
Note to any who missed out: make sure
to come out and see Neo at ‘Earth Dance’ at Charles Darwin National Park on
Sat, Sept 17.
All other NT areas watch out: Neo
is touring your way soon…
The Neo ‘Mojo’ show ruled! The Brown’s Mart Theatre was a packed house
and much fun was had and much love was shared.
Click here
to check out the review – it’s cool!
Big Big Big News! After a few
rehearsals and a secret sneak preview show the boys are now ready for their Neo
Mojo show. Come and check it out at:
Brown’s Mart Theatre, Friday August 12.
Tim has arrived back in Australia
and is ready to work on Neo Mojo + his Timmy
Marten solo project.
A special guest has also arrived
and ready to rehearse for upcoming performances with Neo. <Insert drum roll…> ‘Crafty’ from SA band
Close Call has travelled all the
way to Darwin to play drums for Neo while his band is having a little break –
nice guy eh?!
Something exciting is about to
happen. I can’t tell you who/what/where
exactly yet, but all I can say is: be excited!
17th Feb 2005
Jack
and Tim then went on to Rome to develop the concept for their performances at
this year’s Festival of Darwin, Fringe and NT Music Festival. The boys will be
in town in July, August and September performing their NEO Mojo with fresh
inspired material. At this time of year, as all Darwin residents know, North
Australia is in full summer bloom and artists from all over the country escape
the dreary winter for the Festival in August. This year the International
Guitar Festival will also be held in Darwin, so the potential for a wild ride
of a Dry has gained momentum and is looking high.
3D
Boat Party
Jack
and Tim celebrated their combined birthday with a 3D Boat Party and concert on
the Thames. Playing with London swing band the Zen Hussies, Tim and Jack
steamed up the windows and rattled the floor-boards of the Festival Pier Boat,
playing songs from Serotonin and new material Tim developed over the last year
overseas.
Everyone
was dressed in red and blue, the colours of the 3D lens and all great super
hero’s. Darwin connections came from near and far, including one of the event
organisers, Sasha Lean-Vercoe, who helped design and build the set for NEO’s
theatre musical “Detour“ in 2002.
The
Zen Hussies, flush with full brass horns whipped up a storm and despite the
winter chill outside, inside the boat there was almost as much sweat as a full
moon tropical beach party. Closely followed by Charleston dancers.
In
the name of Powerfunk Records, Jack represented NEO at the international trade
fair MIDEM. The 39th ‘international music market’ MIDEM was in Cannes, France.
The trade fair was visited by 9,000 music representatives from around the
world, the biggest of its kind. As members of Australian Independent Record
labels (AIR), we were eligible for collaborating with Austrade representing
Australian music. Austrade negotiated with Fosters to provide a substantial
amount of free beer for the Australian elements of the conference. Needless to
say, the whole thing took some recovering from.
One
of the best aspects of the trade fair was to meet the Australian and New
Zealand music organisations’. We´re in the process of negotiating distribution
in Australia and New Zealand. The head of ABC Music, Clive Hodson, watched the
NEO video clip and totally dug it.
I
met the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a cafe on Sunset Boulevard,
Hollywood. I told him I liked what he
did, and gave him a copy of Serotonin.
In an attempt to show that he could speak-a-my-language, Anthony said
“Thanks Mate!”
Paul
and Jack decided at a moments notice to attend the FUSE Festival in Adelaide.
Pauly made a quick call to the organisers, who well remembered NEO. They not
only allowed them to register so late, but gave the duo a discount! At the
conference, the Darwin contingent was strong. With the entire Sophie Koh band
playing a deadly concert at the Grace Emily, Jeremy the bass player came with
advanced copies of his new Cooper black album, a terrific reunion of Phea
(Cloudy as effervescent as ever) Lukas and Mark pulling off a star attraction
as EM DEE. Additionally Mark Smith, representing Music NT, pulled of all the
right moves with the record execs.
Lukas
and Jack were recognized in pubs and on the street: “Hey aren´t you the guys
from NEO?”
Adelaide
does not forget easily.