Photo Courtesy of THE BRAG MEDIA and Rolling Stone Australia
In a major collaboration with iconic Australian retailer BONDS, Aussie musicians from diverse genres and backgrounds have united for a cheeky twist on the classic charity underwear calendar in partnership with Rolling Stone Australia. A limited number of calendars are on sale now with all proceeds going to music industry charity Support Act, the organisation that most supported the sector during the pandemic. Rolling Stone Australia Creative Director James Di Fabrizio said music gives our lives so much joy and purpose that it was important to give back. “To bring musicians together from all genres to share a message of support and raise money for artists in crisis was really important. I can’t count how many laugh-out-loud moments we had shooting this,” Di Fabrizio commented.
Di Fabrizio said that the emphasis on support is carried over into the calendar, which features a collection of loved musicians and music industry professionals, including John Nelson and Abraham Poni from Australia’s first African Australian-owned record label 66 Records, a duo renowned for pushing the country’s hip hop and trap scene into a modern and more authentic renaissance. Di Fabrizio went on to point out that also featuring in the calendar are platinum-selling jazz and alt-rock musician Felix Riebl of the Cat Empire and reunited pop-punk trio, Short Stack. Big Twisty, of funk and hip hop collective Big Twisty & The Funknasty, makes an appearance, as do the inner-city buskers turned globe-trotting folk singers The Pierce Brothers and Melbourne pub-punks Clowns.
Di Fabrizio explained that the calendar will be released alongside an exclusive editorial series with Rolling Stone Australia, where artists shed light on the immense support provided by their network during their careers and lives. Managers, roadies, and publicists are the unsung heroes of the music industry, and the Bonds X Rolling Stone Australia collaboration shares the spotlight with the legends who work tirelessly behind the scenes.
“Sometimes he just jumps on the phone with me if I’m having any of those crises — especially over the last couple of years,” Clowns’ Stevie Williams says of his band’s manager, Caleb Williams. “He gets on the phone, walks me away from the edge a little bit, tells me, ‘Things are going to be good.’”
Big Twisty shared a similar sentiment about his manager, Kirsty Kassabis: “She’s my manager, but it’s also just such an amazing friendship. Even if it’s not business related, we’ll call each other just about life issues. It’s a really cool relationship.”
Di Fabrizio explained that the calendar was shot on location in a retro-styled Melbourne house, each image features the musicians and their “greatest support”—someone who has been beside them in their journey and career, helping to make the bad times good and vindicating their professional and creative decisions. Di Fabrizio said that the first fifty calendars purchased via the Rolling Stone Australia website will come bundled with a pair of Bonds’ Total Package™ undies, which are distinguished by their Total Support Pouch™ which separates and supports, ensuring neat downstairs organisation. The Bonds X Rolling Stone Total Support Calendar will be released on Father’s Day.