Here are a few controversial statements:

- Music is still heavily male-dominated. 

- The perception of women over 40, in life or in music, is neither true nor fair. 

- Local, emerging artists are notoriously struggling to make their careers sustainable. 

All the above led, in some way, to establishing Feminista Vinyl (FV) - a record shop located in Melbourne’s suburb of Coburg. It celebrates female-led, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming inclusive bands and artists from all cultures. It is a non-profit run by 6 fabulous founders, who are musicians, social workers or teachers themselves. 

Two of them, Trish Hayes and Clare O’Rourke, chat to me about the night the idea was born, their most unusual piece of merch (spoiler alert, it’s not a rare vinyl), their version of a mini music festival and heaps of other things behind their DIY project. 

- Check out Feminista Vinyl’s page.

- Listen to FV playlists: 

1. NAIDOC @ Feminista Vinyl

2. 1800 Indie Punk Anthems

- Learn more about the Typical Girls programme.

- Get tix for the FV Fundraising Dance Party.

- Browse more content like this on my other Silly McWiggles channels.

Venice Qin⁠ lives on a musical planet built from contradictions — East meets West, Erhu meets hyper-pop, heartbreak meets turbo BPM. 

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, she now lives in Sydney, but her parents come from Mainland China. So, she has always navigated the limbo between different cultures, in life and in her creative pursuits.  

The rising star is also classically trained, almost became an opera singer and was into musical theatre for a good while. But it's the pop scene that she's ultimately embraced. 

Venice Qin's debut album, 奔月 MOONLANDING, is an intriguing musical combination of her roots, stories about transformation and learning how to feel. 

Hear the artist talk about the Chinese mythology that inspired this record, her take on people's perception of pop music and some behind-the-scenes details related to shooting music videos. 

And then: 

- Listen to Venice Qin's new album, ⁠奔月 MOONLANDING⁠.

- Follow Venice Qin on ⁠her channels⁠. 

- Check out the intriguing ⁠video to "Angel"⁠ (landing on September 26, 2025). 

- Browse more content like this on my other ⁠Silly McWiggles channels⁠. 

A lot has happened for bella amor since she burst onto the Aussie music scene in 2022. Signing to Sony, working with Mushroom, performing at Groovin' The Moo and BIGSOUND, and supporting King Stingray, Lime Cordiale and Benson Boone (yep, that somersault -loving American singer) - it’s been quite a ride. 

But now, with the release of her debut EP, this is where i’m at, the Gold Coast-based indie singer feels like she’s “shedding her old self” and looking forward to the next chapter of her music industry career. 

Join me in chatting to bella amor about her fave (and least fave) aspects of being an artist, her take on lip-syncing videos and challenging the perception of Gen Z. I promise - it will be fun!

- Follow bella amor on her socials.

- Check out the artist’s vodcast on YT.

- Find out about bella's music heroes and inspirations from her "aussie legends" playlist.

- Browse more content like this on my other Silly McWiggles channels.

Jimmy Kyle grew up in the screamo era in Australia. So naturally, his first band was a new metal outfit. But with the Chasing Ghosts project, he's also made acoustic and punk troubadour-y records. And on the new, "shiny" album, as he dubs 'Therapy', he posed the question again, "Where to next, sonically?" 

In this chat, he walks me through that unusual journey, the complex themes threaded through the new album, and how he fulfils the responsibility he feels towards his Fist Nations community.

-> Listen to new album 'Therapy' wherever you get your music and visit ⁠⁠Chasing Ghosts website⁠⁠.

-> Read Jimmy's article from the Indigenous X platform: ⁠⁠"My white privilege comes at a price."⁠⁠

-> Learn more about ⁠⁠NAIDOC Week⁠⁠ in Australia.

-> Follow my ⁠⁠@SillyMcWiggles⁠⁠ channels.

The music in this episode is courtesy of Chasing Ghosts. 

The song snippets are (in the order they appear in the episode): 

1. Flowers (00:48)

2. IWPTEK (13:08)

3. Chamomile Tea (20:23)

4. My Bingayi (22:45)

5. Hurting Years (25:30)

6. Amnesia Everybody (30:08)

7. Ten Feet Tall (36: 09)

8. Trick or Treaty (42:38) 

Brisbane-based Suitcase Records has been pressing beautiful vinyl for around three years. And it's been quite a journey!

They're a family-run business with a down-to-earth yet inspiring origin story. Spoiler alert: neither owner had anything to do with music professionally. 

Kathy Wilson tells me about running the company day-to-day, the Suitcase Records' values, and how they're striving to support Australian music. 

To learn more about vinyl pressing, check out Suitcase Records' resources: 

⁠https://suitcaserecords.com.au/pages/pressing-records⁠

Watch Kathy explain the sustainable part of their business: 

⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/sustainable-vinyl-pressing⁠⁠

Watch my review of Phebe Starr's album "Dirt": 

⁠https://suitcaserecords.com.au/pages/i-just-heard-a-new-album⁠

Browse more Silly McWiggles content: 

⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/SillyMcWiggles⁠

Here's a mind-blowing fact: There are only three vinyl pressing plants in Australia.

Suitcase Records is one of them. 

And it turns out that manufacturing the legendary disc is a pretty complex process. Kathy Wilson, the co-owner of the Brisbane-based business, walks me through its different parts: 

- Why is vinyl back?

- Is pressing it completely automated?

- What is Suitcase Records' production capacity?

- And what do artists need to consider when commissioning a batch for their next release? 

Find out from this episode. 

Visit Suitcase records here: 

⁠https://suitcaserecords.com.au/⁠

Watch Kathy explain the sustainable part of their business: 

⁠https://tinyurl.com/sustainable-vinyl-pressing⁠

Browse more Silly McWiggles content: 

⁠https://linktr.ee/SillyMcWiggles⁠

Independent Aussie musos - rejoice!

COMMUNITY MUSIC is a new distribution alternative, a platform designed to help artists from the Land Down Under take their careers to the global stage. It's all about empowering artists by combining the music industry insights, tech expertise and artist management experience.

UNIFIED Music Group has thrown its support behind the project. Find out about its ins and outs from the platform's main developer, Will Cuming, aka electronic artist LANKS.

Visit COMMUNITY MUSIC: https://www.communitymusic.net/

Browse UNIFIED Music Group's website: https://unifiedmusicgroup.com/

Learn more about LANKS and his music projects:

https://www.lanksmusic.com/

More Silly McWiggles channels this way:

https://linktr.ee/SillyMcWiggles

This is the second episode in the special 'Silly Talks Music' Aussie hip-hop edition.

⁠DEVAURA⁠ is a Kiwi-born, Western Sydney-based singer/rapper who calls herself “a good citizen with bad habits”. 

Her background is in singing, but she never really had any formal education in music. That didn’t stop her from making waves in the Aussie hip-hop scene. 

Except for the dope beats, her rising popularity has everything to do with her lyrics and the relatable, authentic stories she tells in her rhymes. 

But does she think she’s a better rapper than a singer?

Find out from this episode. 

Check out DEVAURA's channels:

⁠https://linktr.ee/DEVAURA⁠

Browse more Silly McWiggles content:

⁠https://linktr.ee/SillyMcWiggles⁠

This is the first episode in the special 'Silly Talks Music' Aussie hip-hop edition.

Emerging singer/rapper DEVAURA burst onto the Aussie music scene in 2023… and she’s already stirred things up considerably in the hip-hop realm. 

Despite being named one of Triple J Unearthed 2024 Draft Picks and knocking two showcases at BIGSOUND out of the park, she still humbly calls herself “a student of rap.” 

Find out how crossing paths with other amazing creatives from Western Sydney encouraged her to pursue a new avenue in music. She also breaks down passionately why storytelling and world-building are key to engaging listeners.

Check out DEVAURA's channels:

https://linktr.ee/DEVAURA

Browse more Silly McWiggles content:

https://linktr.ee/SillyMcWiggles

Silly McWiggles is back with a new theme, new guests, and a new attitude. 

Check out some format changes introduced this season, and stay tuned for the first chat coming in November 2024. 

Browse more Silly McWiggles content:

https://linktr.ee/SillyMcWiggles