Image details: 2008 APRA Music Awards served by picapp.com

Last night Daniel Johns became the first person in history to win three APRA Awards in one year.

The Silverchair frontman was named Songwriter of the Year for the number one hit “Straight Lines,” which also won Song of the Year and Most Played Australian Work gongs.

The other awards showed the diversity of Australia’s musical landscape. Melbourne’s Sally Seltmann won the Breakthrough Songwriter title for “1, 2, 3, 4,” the monster song made famous by Feist.

The Rogue Traders took home the Dance Work of the Year award for “In Love Again” while John Butler bagged the Blues and Roots gong for “Good Excuse.” Troy Casser-Daley’s song “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” proved to be somewhat prophetic, as it helped the singer bag the Country Work of the Year title. Jade McCrae proved she’s one of Australia’s brightest stars, taking home the Urban Work of the Year award for “In the Basement.”

Manager extraordinaire Roger Davies was awarded the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.

Image details: East Coast Blues & Roots Festival 2008 - Day 3 served by picapp.com

If you’re an aspiring young artist, you could get a leg up in the industry courtesy of John Butler.

The John Butler Seed project offers cash grants to help young artists make their ideas happen.

The 2008 categories are indigenous recording, professional and skills development, social activism through the arts, management workshop initiative, and the Jacqui McCoy Trust (for disadvantaged artists).

If you think you might fit the bill, head to the John Butler Seed website or MySpace page for more information.

It’s ARIAs day, a time to reflect on the awesome music Australia has produced over the past year. If you love our own version of the Grammys as much as me, you’ll want to stay glued to Channel Ten tonight.

At 7 pm they’ve got the red carpet special. This is mostly an opportunity to gawk at the sexy dresses and see who came with who. The Veronicas and Ricki-Lee Coulter will also perform, reminding us that while the fashions are nice this is about the music!

Then at 7:30 pm Australian Idol will serve up some homegrown hits. This week the Idols will each tackle a song made famous by an Australian artist. I’m particularly looking forward to Natalie Gauci tearing up The Divinyls’ “Boys in Town.”

Then at 8:30pm there’s the big one, the 21st Annual ARIA Music Awards. Can Sneaky Sound System sweep the pool as predicted, or will we see a few upsets? This dynamic dance outfit will perform during the awards, as will Silverchair, Powderfinger, Gotye, Operator Please, Kate Miller-Heidke, and Missy Higgins. But the stand-out should be a duet between Keith Urban and John Butler - look out for it!

Image source: ARIA website 

Sneaky Sound System has showed they’ll be a force to be reckoned with at this year’s Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. The dance outfit has led the nominations, with nods in six categories including best group, best dance album, and album of the year.

The John Butler Trio isn’t far behind with five nominations. Their top 10 smash Grand National is up for album of the year and best independent release.

The groups will battle with Powderfinger, Silverchair, and Gotye for the best album title.
The best group nominees are some of the biggest names in the biz: Sneaky Sound System, Eskimo Joe, Powderfinger, Silverchair, and Wolfmother.

Singer-songwriters have dominated the solo categories. Dan Kelly, Gotye, John Butler, Josh Pyke, and Paul Kelly are all up for best male artist, while Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan, Missy Higgins, and Sarah Blasko will battle for the best female crown.

The ARIA Awards will be held in Sydney on October 28. Channel Ten personality Rove McManus will host the awards for the fifth time. Powderfinger, Silverchair, Missy Higgins, and John Butler Trio will perform on the night, but expect more big names to join the bill closer to the date.

Image source: Toby Forage @ Flickr

There’s no bigger story in Australian music this weekend than our contribution to the global Live Earth event. More than 45,000 packed into Sydney’s Aussie Stadium yesterday to hear the message of environmental awareness.

If you believe the reports, many disgruntled punters left after just two hours, frustrated by lengthy bar and toilet queues and poor acoustics. But for those who bravely soldiered on, the event was an unforgettable showcase of what this country has to offer.

While most Live Earth concerts relied on international drawcards, the Australian show celebrated homegrown talent. American Jack Johnson was the only foreign inclusion on the star-studded lineup.

The event kicked off with an Aboriginal welcome ceremony, before roots outfit Blue King Brown hit the stage. Then Toni Colette brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to the show with her band The Finish.

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