Musical Equality And Sustainability With VICKI GORDON

Musical Equality And Sustainability With VICKI GORDON

Interview by Kris Peters
Since the Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) inception in 2018 almost 2000 individuals have been recognised with a nomination, with 1946 nominations from 2018 to 2024. Designed to provide an outlet to celebrate and reward women in the Australian music industry, AWMA has become a vital platform for recognising the vast contributions of First Nations and culturally diverse artists, musicians, technicians, photographers, journalists, leaders, artists with a disability and music practitioners from every corner of the sector.
To be held on October 9 at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, this year's ceremony features a spectacular line-up, including KATIE MILLER HEIDKE, MISSY HIGGINS, BABYSHAKES DILLON, and recently appointed AWM Chair SARAH MCLEOD.
Founding Executive Producer and Program Director Vicki Gordon explains: "Our inaugural AWMA in 2018 paved the way for some of the most important change the industry has ever seen, igniting collaboration and support nationally for female and gender-diverse artists and music practitioners, First Nations and Multicultural artists and artists living in remote and regional areas. As we head into our sixth year, we are proud of the change and the shift AWMA has enabled - but there is so much more work to be done.”
With the AWMA's drawing near, HEAVY sat down with Vicki to discuss the Awards, covering everything from the past, present and future of this wonderful initiative.
"Things are pretty intense at the moment," she smiled when we asked how preparations were going. "We're just under four weeks out from delivering the conference and the awards ceremony, and there are a lot of moving parts. It's become massive; a really, really big event. There's a lot going on with organising the artists and the programming for the awards ceremony. (Things like) the finalists, the conference programme, the speakers and the facilitators."
We ask Vicki to go into more detail about the AMWAs, including what motivated her to establish the awards in 2018.
"I've worked in the music industry for a long time," she measured. "I've been a label manager, an artist manager. I've had the extraordinary opportunities to work with First Nations artists for the last three decades, right across this entire country, and I've been a video producer. I've worked in lots of areas, and in my time in the industry, it was always so obvious to me that women were really absent, particularly in a lot of the technical and production areas. I have been observing that for a long, long time. In the early 90s I established the Australian Women's Rock Institute, and that was way before Australian Women in Music Awards. I set that up primarily to address the status of women in the music industry, which was pretty appalling at that time."
In the full interview, Vicki outlined the extensive preparations for the event, involving a large team focused on artist programming and conference logistics. As a not-for-profit charity, the event relies heavily on ongoing fundraising efforts and collaboration between a number of sectors, which she explained in greater detail.
Vicki also mentioned her proactive approach to planning for the 2026 awards, highlighting the cyclical nature of organising such events. She shared her long-standing commitment to addressing the underrepresentation of women in technical and production roles within the music industry, which led her to establish the Australian Women's Rock Institute and the awards themselves.
The conversation also touched on the importance of gender equality in the music sector, with Vicki emphasising the need for continued advocacy and research. She introduced the Women in Tech forum, featuring Brittany Long as a speaker, and addressed concerns about inclusivity for male attendees, affirming that their participation is welcome. The inclusion of heavy metal and associated genres in AWMA was discussed as well as Vicki's vision for the future of the awards.
The discussion included details about ticketing for the awards and conference, as well as highlights of the event, such as the unique black carpet event and the awards ceremony featuring notable performers and more.


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Deeper Wells And Deeper Laughs: Dyssidia’s MITCH BRACKMAN Gets Real

Deeper Wells And Deeper Laughs: Dyssidia’s MITCH BRACKMAN Gets Real

Interview by Ali WilliamsIf you thought progressive metal was all serious faces and minor chords, think again. Mitch from Dyssidia joined HEAVY’s own Ali Williams for a wild, winding, and refreshingly unfiltered chat—spanning everything from vinyl snobbery to deadly Frisbees and Adelaide’s criminally underrated music scene.Dyssidia just dropped their sophomore album Deeper Wells of Meaning—only five years after their debut, because, you know, global pandemics and musicians’ creative “pauses.” Mitch spills on the pain of planning an album launch, only to have COVID crash the party two weeks later. The silver lining? More time to marinate, mature, and, presumably, stare at the ceiling thinking about vinyl colour options. Forget digital downloads; Mitch’s passion for vinyl is a religion. The band doesn’t just release albums—they curate tactile experiences. The latest artwork, painted by Adam Burke (with an actual brush—no AI here, people), is so gorgeous that Mitch reckons at least 20% of positive feedback is just fans drooling over the cover. Want a double LP with wild colours? Dyssidia’s got you. Want a band-branded stubby cooler? Even better—just watch out for Mitch’s plans to weaponize plastic frisbees at shows. Rock and roll, but with dental insurance. The band’s gearing up for their album launch in Adelaide, with Adriatic, Wings of Thanatos, and Kuiper joining the chaos. Touring across Australia is like prepping for the Olympics—distances are brutal, costs are bonkers, and sometimes even the koalas get confused by daylight savings. Perth fans: you’re loved, you’re loyal, but unless someone donates a private jet, don’t hold your breath for monthly Dyssidia visits.Dyssidia have re-joined forces with Wild Thing Records—mainly because the contracts are so chill they’re basically handshakes, and the friendships are the real glue. According to Mitch, it’s not about the business as much as it is about the hang. “Most of the time, you’re just trying to survive and connect with other bands, so your mini-tour isn’t just you in a van talking to yourself.”There’s no road map for being a modern prog-metal band. Dyssidia is all about that flexible, DIY, make-it-work spirit—embracing the weirdness of the times, working from home, and enjoying the freedom to create on your own terms. New music is brewing (eventually), Adelaide is still underrated, and at least Ali and Mitch are now Facebook friends. In the words of the great philosopher: Thanks babe.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

12 Dec 202518min

Backstage chats with ALL TIME LOW At GOOD THINGS 2025

Backstage chats with ALL TIME LOW At GOOD THINGS 2025

HEAVY was lucky to again be invited backstage at Good Things 2025 to chat with the bands about their shows and other fun stuff. Today, Angela gets cozy with All Time Low.Big thanks to Destroy All Lines and the team at Dallas Does PR for allowing us to share the day with them. Big thanks also to the team - Kyra, Geoffro and Angela as well as our new video team, Grey & Brook.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Dec 20258min

Backstage Chats With YOURS TRULY At GOOD THINGS 2025

Backstage Chats With YOURS TRULY At GOOD THINGS 2025

HEAVY was lucky to again be invited backstage at Good Things 2025 to chat with the bands about their shows and other fun stuff. Today, Kyra and Angela get up close with Yours Truly. Big thanks to Destroy All Lines and the team at Dallas Does PR for allowing us to share the day with them. Big thanks also to the team - Kyra, Geoffro and Angela as well as our new video team, Grey & Brook.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Dec 202513min

Living In A Perfect World With STEVE TULIPANA From SEASON TO RISK

Living In A Perfect World With STEVE TULIPANA From SEASON TO RISK

In 1994, Season to Risk had been on tour for the past four years, playing as a young opening band on legendary shows with Killdozer, Unsane, Neurosis, Prong and Killing Joke. Their first album had sold well, with songs charting on radio and getting music video airtime on MTV and Canada's Much Music. There was an opportunity to take advantage of the popular wave of alt rock and nu metal dominating the air waves and being signed unexpectedly to major label Columbia Records put them in the position that they had amazing support as artists, but also someone to answer to and the machine must be fed.The band decided instead to work with Martin Bisi (producer of Sonic Youth, Foetus, Swans, Cop Shoot Cop) and use their major label money to deliver a punishing post hardcore masterpiece of crushing noise rock, In A Perfect World. The album has become a cult classic and over the course of the past 30 years, some of the songs off In A Perfect World became mainstays in live shows.And now, Season To Risk have decided the time is right to revisit that timeless album, having In A Perfect World remastered by Duane Trower (Weights & Measures Soundlab), creating a reissue that gains new clarity without losing its raw urgency. Released on Record Store Day in the United States, In A Perfect World has been rejigged to embrace the modern sound, with Season To Risk using the experience to harness their focus and energy into live shows and a new record.Singer Steve Tulipana joined HEAVY to take us behind the scenes. We start by asking if the nerves are any different, releasing the same album three decades later."I mean, it's weird," he smiled, "It's 30 years old, which is kind of a trip obviously for us. To think about how much time has passed… It doesn't feel like 30 years ago by any means, which is over half my life. I'm more nervous because we have some US dates we're going to start. It's a pretty gruelling little run of shows we're doing, and we haven't done that in many, many years. So that's got me nervous, more than the record coming out".Going into In A Perfect World back in 1994, Season To Risk had just finished four years on the road and were understandably more than a little jaded. We ask Steve if this had any effect on the finished product."Yes, I do think we were (jaded)," he nodded. "So a lot of the material from the first record - and it's a cleaner record for sure - we were young, and it was our first material that you take a bunch of years to write. Then you get signed, and then it was delayed forever. We were always trying to challenge ourselves, and we were wanting to be more… it's not like it was incredibly conscious. I mean, we didn't want to sell out, but we were trying to find this heavy thing. We had some road on us, and we had some life experience on us at that point so it was darker and things were a little more fucked up. To be candid, I was a little more fucked up in my head, but that's the experience you go through, right?"In the full interview, Steve focused on the reissue of In A Perfect World, reflecting on the surreal nature of the album's 30-year anniversary. The remastering process was highlighted, with improvements made by guitarist Duane Trower being explained, although digital rights for a remastered version have not been granted by Sony, leaving fans without a digital option for now.The conversation also explored the band's artistic evolution, with Steve discussing their maturation and the incorporation of new elements like synthesizers in their upcoming material. The importance of clarity in lyrics while maintaining a unique sound was emphasized. We spoke about the release of a new album, with the aim for completion by the first quarter of the next year.Steve discussed the natural evolution of Season To Risk and how it has impacted their music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Dec 202523min

Backstage chats with COBRA STARSHIP At GOOD THINGS 2025

Backstage chats with COBRA STARSHIP At GOOD THINGS 2025

HEAVY was lucky to again be invited backstage at Good Things 2025 to chat with the bands about their shows and other fun stuff. Today, Angela sits down for an awesome one on one with Cobra Starship.Big thanks to Destroy All Lines and the team at Dallas Does PR for allowing us to share the day with them. Big thanks also to the team - Kyra, Geoffro and Angela as well as our new video team, Grey & Brook.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Dec 20258min

Backstage chats with WINDWAKER At GOOD THINGS 2025

Backstage chats with WINDWAKER At GOOD THINGS 2025

HEAVY was lucky to again be invited backstage at Good Things 2025 to chat with the bands about their shows and other fun stuff. Today, Kyra gets to know Aussie metal sensations Windwaker.Big thanks to Destroy All Lines and the team at Dallas Does PR for allowing us to share the day with them.Big thanks also to the team - Kyra, Geoffro and Angela as well as our new video team, Grey & Brook.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Dec 202511min

Bringing The Discovery Down Under With CAMERON LOSCH From BORN OF OSIRIS

Bringing The Discovery Down Under With CAMERON LOSCH From BORN OF OSIRIS

Interview by Angela CroudaceAfter years of anticipation, Born of Osiris are finally set to return to Australia this coming March and for drummer Cameron Losch, the excitement is doubled. While the band last toured the country six years ago, Cameron himself hasn’t performed on Australian soil for roughly a decade due to an injury during their previous run. “I am just so excited. It’s been way too long,” he says, reflecting on how much he loved every visit in the past.Some of his clearest memories include being pranked about “drop bears” moments after landing, and wandering through bushland stunned by wild kangaroos an experience far removed from his Midwest home. This time, he’s hoping for more of those uniquely Australian moments, plus a chance to reconnect with fans face-to-face, something he’s grown to treasure deeply on recent tours.Australia will also be among the first to witness a major milestone: the 15-year anniversary celebration of The Discovery. The band is performing eight tracks from the beloved album, reworked with fresh flair. Cameron promises surprises, intensity, and some of the most challenging drumming of his career.Sharing the bill with the crushing Signs of the Swarm, Born of Osiris’ March run is shaping up to be an unmissable blend of nostalgia, evolution, and explosive energy. Australia, get ready, they’re coming back stronger than ever.BORN OF OSIRIS and SIGNS OF THE SWARM 2026 Australian Tour DatesWednesday 18th March ADELAIDE, Lion Arts FactoryThursday 19th March MELBOURNE, Max WattsFriday 20th March BRISBANE, Brightside OutdoorsSaturday 21st March SYDNEY, Manning BarTickets From: https://thephoenix.au/born-of-osiris-2026/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Dec 202526min

Backstage chats with LORNA SHORE At GOOD THINGS 2025

Backstage chats with LORNA SHORE At GOOD THINGS 2025

HEAVY was lucky to again be invited backstage at Good Things 2025 to chat with the bands about their shows and other fun stuff. Today, Kyra and Angela chat with the most brutal band on the bill, Lorna Shore. Big thanks to Destroy All Lines and the team at Dallas Does PR for allowing us to share the day with them.Big thanks also to the team - Kyra, Geoffro and Angela as well as our new video team, Grey & Brook.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Dec 202515min

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