Mat Ward

Eskatology

What's in a name? Everything, for Aboriginal rapper Eskatology. His music has his name written all over it. Eskatology, also known as 26-year-old South Australian Jonathan Stier, first came across the term "eschatology" through studying religion. "Religion does play a part in my life, and I was doing a bit of religious studying and came across this word and it intrigued me," he tells Green Left Weekly.

As a child, David Cromwell got an invaluable insight into the way the corporate media skews the news. Scattered around his family's Scottish home were "mainstream" newspapers like the Daily Record and Glasgow Herald.

Pee Records PO Box 238, Marden, South Australia 5070 www.peerecords.com "Pretty much all of our bands write songs about social, political and personal issues," says Pete Harding, the founder of South Australian hardcore punk label Pee Records. "With 16 or 17 active bands on the label, we have a lot of different acts covering different issues.
Fraudcast News Patrick Chalmers Released February 2012 http://fraudcastnews.net/ Reading this former Reuters reporter's analysis of the news industry is like watching an episode of detective series Columbo unfold. Like the seemingly innocent inspector Columbo, Patrick Chalmers at first comes across as disconcertingly naive. But, just like the deceptive detective, his eye for detail and dedicated approach become clear only late in the storyline.
A Breath Of Stale Air Local Resident Failure Pee Records Released June, 2012 peerecords.com Newcastle punks Local Resident Failure are heavier than Clive Palmer, tighter than Gina Rinehart and have just dropped a motherlode of a debut album. But the analogies with Australia's mining fat cats end there. A Breath Of Stale Air spits gobfuls of bile at right-wingers, from the mainstream media to racist rednecks - not least on "Every Day's A Holiday On Christmas Island", the band's scathing condemnation of xenophobia.
A Rough Guide To The Dark Side Daniel Simpson Zero Books Release date: August 31 www.roughguidedarkside.com Most mainstream media journalists would kill to get one of their stories on the front page of The New York Times. But when that happened to the newspaper's Balkans correspondent in 2003, he was less than thrilled. Daniel Simpson had already resigned in disgust at the paper's support for starting wars, and was serving out his notice. He had reached what he calls "a mirrored ceiling" in his career.
Black Sheep of The American Dream Death By Stereo Released April 24, 2012 Viking Funeral Records http://deathbystereo.com/ Californian hardcore punk band Death By Stereo have long been known for their politically charged lyrics, energising the scene with their debut If Looks Could Kill, I'd Watch You Die 13 years ago.

Standing Strong Yung Warriors Payback Records Released April 2012 http://www.yungwarriors.com.au "We wanted to do everything on this album," Tjimba Possum-Burns tells Green Left Weekly. He is talking about Standing Strong, the aptly-titled second album by Yung Warriors. On the record, the Aboriginal hip hop crew he fronts with his cousin, Danny "D-Boy" Ramzan, take listeners on a journey from hard-hitting politics to straight-up party tracks.

Forever Sky'high Sky'high Elefant Traks Released May 25, 2012 Stream the whole album at: www.skyhighforever.com Rapper Sky'high is a strong, Black woman surrounded by strong, Black women. "This is correct," she tells Green Left Weekly. "My family's full of strong, Black women." But when asked if there are any strong men in her family, she replies: "My father and brothers' father both passed away."
Sky'high Forever Sky'high Elefant Traks Released May 25, 2012 Stream the whole album at: http://www.skyhighforever.com/ Rapper Sky'high is a strong, Black woman surrounded by strong, Black women. "This is correct," she tells Green Left Weekly. "My family's full of strong, Black women." But when asked if there are any strong men in her family, she replies: "My father and brothers' father both passed away."
Mark Stewart The Politics Of Envy Future Noise Music Released March, 2012 http://www.markstewartmusic.com/ "Genius and lunatic are two sides of the same coin," says Mark Stewart. The post-punk pioneer is telling Green Left Weekly about "Method to The Madness", a song on his star-studded new CD, The Politics Of Envy. But he could just as easily be talking about dub-reggae doyen Lee Scratch Perry, Clash co-founder Keith Levene or mindbending moviemaker Kenneth Anger, all of whom appear on the album. Or he could, of course, be talking about himself.

On June 16, 2012, an all-female line-up of artists put on a Sydney gig to raise funds for women prisoners after funding for the charity Sisters Inside was cut by the Liberal state government in Queensland.