Mint (issue 5) July 2015 by Mint Magazine

# 5 • july 2015

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COURTNEY BARNETT: ‘EVERYONE IS THE VOICE OF THEIR GENERATION’

FRASER A. GORMAN

ROSEBUD BUSKFEST 2015

BREWERS CHOICE WEEKEND

SOUNDS LIKE SURF

SAMUEL JOHNSON

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GOLDEN STONEFIELD

STONEFIELD RETURN WITH A TASTE OF NEW MUSIC ‘GOLDEN DREAM’ + ANNOUNCE NATIONAL GOLDEN DREAM TOUR IN JUNE & JULY After two years of relentless touring both locally and internationally, Melbourne rockers Stonefield are back with an exciting glimpse of what is to come in 2015. The taste of new music from the Findlay sisters is entitled Golden Dream and was given a first play on triple j by Home & Hosed host Dom Alessio. The track showcases a dreamier, more psychedelic sound than previously heard from the four-piece. The track illustrates a distinct evolution for the band, stripping their trademark thundering sound back into a woozy, sparkling gem. This is certainly Stonefield v2.0. “The song has a real sense of female strength. It thrives on the energy of a man longing for her to come back to him. It’s a woman’s perspective of the classic masculine band-on-the-road story – reassuring their partner back home that they’ll come back to them. I love that the strength of the female presence is contrasted by the more delicate vocal,” says Amy Findlay. Golden Dream was produced by Spiderbait’s Kram, who is also producing the follow-up to Stonefield’s acclaimed self-titled debut album. Released in 2013, it featured the singles Put Your Curse On Me, C’mon and Love You Deserve, and was named Rock Work of the Year at the 2015 APRA Awards.

Golden Dream is out now through Illusive Available on iTunes Listen to ‘Golden Dream’ on Soundcloud

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The four-piece will hit the road this June/July in support of Golden Dream playing metro and regional centres throughout the country, giving crowds a taste of some of the currently unheard tracks from their anticipate sophomore album due for release in late 2015.

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A music, arts, events & entertainment magazine for the Peninsula & Bayside.

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Cameron McCullough editor@mintmagazine.com.au

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Andrea Louise Thomas arts@mintmagazine.com.au

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MINT Magazine x July

2015

ROSEBUD BUSKFEST P21 SAMUEL JOHNSON P30

P14 PERRY KEYES P28 SOUNDS LIKE SURF

CLASSIC CUTS

P24

TASTE OF SORRENTO P26

BECCY COLE

COURTNEY BARNETT P6

...INSIDE

SHOWCASE FOR SINGING TALENT A SEAFORD music school keen to give local singers a venue in which to demonstrate their talents started The Voice of Frankston in 2013 and its success has snowballed. “I’m a singer and I wanted to give other singers a go, too,” Fun-key Music director Jenny Wilkinson said. “I wanted to showcase their talent.” The Voice attracted 110 entrants in first year and 125 last year and organisers are hoping for even more this year. Aiming to “give Frankston a boost” and rescue it from its “bad rap”, Ms Wilkinson said: “When we were starting we had singers coming through [the school] and we thought there must be lots of others out there just wanting the opportunity to perform. “We had the idea of hosting a talent quest with judges and support from local businesses.” In the lead-up to the annual contest at the Heversham Drive headquarters, entrants send in CDs of their performances to give the judges a heads up on their singing skills – a kind of blind audition. “Easy year the standard is amazing,” Ms Wilkinson said. “At one stage the judges were giving 9, 9, 9 early on until I said ‘Give yourselves some room’,” she said, knowing the standard was likely to get even better. Past winner Cail Baroni has written songs for Sony Music Australia’s Jai Waitford and Hit Makers Australia and is planning to release his album at the grand final of this year’s event. He is also singer-songwriter with up-and-coming band The Knowing. “Whether you are a budding young singer, an aspiring adult performer or a senior with a passion for entertaining, join in and

celebrate your talent in our solo artist singing competition,” Ms Wilkinson said. The competition is open to everyone who lives, works or studies within the City of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula. It’s so family friendly that entrants are offered mentoring sessions between performances to provide feedback and constructive advice to help get through the process. Applicants must register on the Fun-key music website. Video auditions will be accepted until 25 August. Twenty-five acts will be chosen to perform in the semi-final concert on 6 September at the Frankston Arts Centre. Ten or 12 of these performers will then progress to the grand final on 13 September at the same venue. Finalists will receive a $100 fun-key music voucher plus special offers from Frankston and Peninsula businesses. All semi-finalists will receive vouchers from local businesses and a combined prize pool of more than $10,000 will be shared by grand final winners – as well as a professional recording, film clip, photo shoot and performance opportunities. The event will be filmed for Frankston TV and the grand final will be broadcast live by RPPFM. Fun-key music is a private music studio, established in 1997 to teach singing and performance skills to students in Seaford. It conducts private singing, piano, guitar and group singing classes Monday to Thursday and some school-based sessions in Seaford and across the peninsula. Call 9786 3104 for details. bayside & mornington peninsula

ARCHIE ROACH RECOGNISED IN QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST + BRAND NEW ALBUM COMING There are few Australian voices in the debate on social justice and Indigenous welfare that resonate as strongly as that of Archie Roach and his impact on this country’s musical landscape is equally powerful. And now in a fitting tribute, Archie Roach has been awarded AM in the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts as a singer, song-writer and guitarist, and to the community as a spokesman for social justice. When Roach released his debut album Charcoal Lane 25 years ago, his song Took the Children Away shone a spotlight on the impact of the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families and brought it to the attention of the global community. At the time, the song won two ARIA Awards and an international Human Rights Achievement Award (making Roach the first person ever to receive this award for a song). Since then, he has received countless awards, and released eight albums and a retrospective box set (of his first four albums). His work has been recognised locally and internationally, in

mainstream and Indigenous circles. He has collaborated with the finest musicians in the country, including Paul Kelly, Troy Cassar-Daley, Christine Anu, Vika and Linda Bull, Shane Howard and Dan Sultan. He has toured with some of the world’s most iconic artists, including Leonard Cohen, Rodriguez, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Billy Bragg, Paul Simon, Joan Armatrading, Suzanne Vega and Patti Smith. In recognition of the significance of his musical contribution to the social and cultural landscape of Australia, in 2013 Took the Children Away was added to the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, as part of the Sounds of Australia collection. Three decades after the release of Charcoal Lane, his work continues to reflect the struggles and issues facing Indigenous Australians as well as exploring universal themes of love, friendship, family and community. His commitment to raising awareness and being a catalyst for change remains undiminished. Off stage, he has become a spokesperson for social justice, working in Indigenous communities around the country and

mentoring many young and emerging Indigenous artists. He is also a Patron of Parkville College, within the Parkville Juvenile Justice precinct. Roach is currently working on a new album entitled Let Love Rule, with producer Craig Pilkington. The songs on the new record explore the many faces of love, calling for great care, more love and unity as we face the future. The album is due for release by Liberation Music later this year. Liberation Music’s managing director Warren Costello says: “Archie Roach is a revered man and musician, and with Let Love Rule we have once again set out to help Archie create another landmark album in what has already been such an amazing career. “Michael Gudinski and I have drawn incredible strength and inspiration from Archie and Archie’s partner and musical collaborator, the late Ruby Hunter over many, many years and we look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Archie to launch this new album.”

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Courtney Barnett: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Everyone is the voice of their generationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

MINT Magazine x July

2015

bayside & mornington peninsula

By Neil Walker has been seized upon as representing her generation being locked out of owning a home thanks to soaring property prices.

COURTNEY Barnett is so hot right now. The 27-year-old Northcote based singer-songwriter’s debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit has cracked the Billboard Top 20 in the US and soared to the top of alternative album charts all over the world.

It’s not a similarity Barnett sees. Dunham has been called “the voice of her generation” after a line in an early episode of Girls saw Dunham’s character Hannah Horvath say “I may be the voice of my generation”.

No appearances on The Voice Australia or the recently axed Australian Idol shows required. High-profile US news site Salon described Barnett as “the new Bob Dylan”. High praise indeed. But speaking to the singer-songwriter another 1960s iconic touchstone tangentially springs to mind: The Beatles.

“Everyone is the voice of their generation,” Barnett says. “Everyone speaks of what they know. That’s all I do. I sing about what I do, and what I think, and what I know. I don’t know more than anyone else.”

John Lennon when describing Beatles mania said: “We always called it ‘the eye of the hurricane’ – it was calmer right in the middle.”

Perhaps not but it hasn’t stopped Barnett becoming that rarest of things - an Australian musician with overseas success. She says the feedback from her peers has been positive and plays down any possibility of a backlash.

Barnett sounds calm and relaxed about her newfound success and the glowing reviews and sold-out concerts both here is Australia and the US in the wake of the March release of Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit.

“Most of my friends are musicians and we all kind of keep in touch about everything. It’s great. I love seeing my friends’ bands … it’s great seeing people being successful.”

Speaking to the singer is a little disconcerting. Her speaking voice during our telephone interview is similar to her deadpan half-singing voice.

Live performances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is not something most Aussie musicians contemplate. Barnett seems unfazed by the big buzz fuss.

Barnett’s alt-rock alt-rock pop tinged songs are based on “the stuff around me” and “situations I find myself in”. Songs such as Depreston and Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party are first-person narratives about the minutiae of daily life.

“It was great. It’s a bit crazy and surreal doing a big TV thing like that … it was fun. It’s just always a bit wild, you don’t always know what’s happening.

That’s not as boring as it sounds. A hastily arranged interview with Barnett on the day it takes place makes it hard to shake a paranoid personal first-personal narrative during the chat: ‘What if this at times awkward conversation – no fault of Barnett’s who is friendly and patient - ends up as part of a future song about an interviewer’s dumb questions?’. Delusional egomania on the interviewer’s part certainly, and thankfully the song title Pedestrian At Best has already been used by Barnett is the lead-off single for the debut album. Frankly, Barnett is so laid back during our chat, it’s doubtful she even noticed the at times pedestrian at best questions. An early question about the music played in the young Barnett’s home when growing up falls a little flat.

She was a guitarist in grunge band Rapid Transit who gigged around Melbourne’s less salubrious venues before joining Immigrant Union, a band put together by The Dandy Warhols drummer Brent DeBoer. “Two of the guys that are from that band [Immigrant Union] are my current band members.” As for her solo career, it all began with some songs released on two EPs called I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris and How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose. The 12 songs were collected onto The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in late 2013. The EPs were released on Milk! Records, Barnett’s own record label.

Although her father did listen to jazz legend Miles Davis.

“I just started out when I released my first EP so I could manage the release from home myself. I posted out a few CDs to people who ordered them and it slowly built into a larger thing as more people told their friends about it.”

Talking about her early days on the music scene – Barnett is no overnight success despite her meteoric rise in the past few months – gleans some better background details though.

It’s easy to hear how positive word of mouth spread about Barnett’s music. The likes of History Eraser with its references to The Rolling Stones and The Triffids is nirvana for music geeks and her conversational lyrics

“My parents didn’t really listen to pop music or the radio or anything like that … they listened to the ABC,” she says.

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make it seem like Barnett is having a friendly chat with the individual listener. Local references to Melbourne and its suburbs definitely make it easier for Australian listeners to hook in to Barnett’s world view but she says there has been no cultural cringe for the songs to overcome on a wider global stage. “I think most of the time people just figure stuff out. You either look on a map and see what Phillip Island is or whatever I’m talking about or you just assume it’s some place … it’s like listening to Lou Reed walking down New York streets and stuff, you just kind of figure it out.” A cheeky suggestion to visit Frankston train station to gather material for a future song about its surrounding mean streets before a planned multi-million-dollar redevelopment is met with a diplomatic laugh. Another US comparison thrown Barnett’s way is being dubbed “music’s Lena Dunham” by Billboard magazine, due to similar confessional [word] to the Girls TV series creator and star. Depreston’s depiction of Barnett struggling to save money to buy a house in the suburbs

“It’s just a bit mind boggling but yeah, it’s great. I just love that so many people connect with the songs. That’s what it comes down to.” It’s been a bit of a whirlwind in the eye of the hurricane and Barnett recalls meeting a musical hero in Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy as a personal highlight along the way. “He’s awesome. A legend.” Barnett says she hasn’t really mapped out her solo career. “Everything is just a small step in the next direction. I don’t really have any landmarks … it’s all been great.” Future ambitions are very low key. “I dunno… just, um, I dunno, get older, see more things, make more things, travel a bit more, spend some time with my mum and dad, keep being artistic.” Barnett also dabbles in visual art (“A lot of drawing, starting to paint and photography.”). “It’s just seeing what it’s all about.” Who’s to say she won’t find similar success in other artistic fields whether she sits and thinks or just sits? Tomorrow never knows.

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DRAGON FIRES UP By Terri Lee Fatouros Iconic rockers band Dragon flew into town recently and dazzled supporters with a spectacular show at the Palms at Crown singing their Body and The Beat album in its entirety. Why you may ask? Well the guys are celebrating their platinum selling album, Body and The Beat 30th year anniversary by doing weekend gigs around Australia. The current line-up of founding member Todd Hunter bass, Mark Williams lead vocals/ acoustic guitar, Bruce Reid on electric guitar and Pete Drummond on drums have been touring to sold out gigs for the past several years playing all their old hits along with newbies added into the mix, delighting faithful fans while gaining new supporters along the way. Due to time restraints in the past they have not been able to play many songs from Body and The Beat so this new tour is dedicated to the album in its entirety. Dragon’s popularity has never died; rather it’s

been smoldering steadily and fanned by die-hard supporters. The guys are brilliant. Reid’s serious guitar demeanor and Drummond’s energetic drumming are the glue in which front man Williams vivacious and friendly manner revs up everyone by endearing them to his cause with much singing and joking throughout. However, the real genius and master is Todd Hunter. His gentle, soft yet wise visage sparkled notable throughout the entire gig. He sat calmly playing his guitar with sincerity, smiling modestly if someone shouted a request during song breaks, and answered humbly.

Hunter is a very talent musician indeed. Dragon is still as popular now as they ever were and are still gaining enthusiastic fans especially of the younger generation. They have huge rock credibility, a kick arse beat, and infectious rhythm. As the night drew to an end, no one was sitting because everyone was boogying including yours truly with their Body and The Beat. Check out their new album entitled Dragon, as this is one for the collection. For info on Dragon go to dragononline.com.au

It’s a little known fact that Hunter wrote the hit song, Age of Reason for John Farnham! In fact, during the years he wasn’t gigging or touring, Hunter was busy writing scores for hit TV series Heart Break High, Sweet and Sour and numerous other series, along with the music for the series Pride of Australia.

KJD PHOTOGRAPHY

GOD’S KITCHEN

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MINT Magazine x July

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BECCY COLE By Lachlan Bryan For successful performing artists in the prime of their careers, a new album every couple of years is the established rule of thumb. Making records is a long, challenging process which can break the spirits of even the most seasoned pros, and it usually requires all of the artist’s strength and energy, plus the help of a good supporting cast. Beccy Cole has made plenty of records (7 prior to this year, as a fact) and knows the process involved – but this time round she’s complicated things further by teaming new record Sweet Rebecca with her autobiography, Poster Girl. “When the publisher referred to me as an ‘author’ within the first ten minutes of our conversation I started to like the idea,” says Cole, who claims that she was essentially “talked into” writing her memoirs.

as completely honest and open if I was recounting my stories to another person in the room. Writing it all down myself seemed to make more sense, and luckily the final product isn’t edited too much!” Alongside the book, new album Sweet Rebecca sees Cole at the top of her game. Recorded with master producer and good friend Shane Nicholson (the second Cole album in a row that he has produced) the almost exclusively mostly self-penned songs showcase Cole’s abilities as both writer and performer – as well as her continued willingness to bare her soul. Poster Girl and Sweet Rebecca are available now at all good bookstores and music stores.

Despite being one of Australia’s most established and credible country singers, it was Cole’s personal life that captured the nation’s attention back in 2012 when she ‘came out’ on ABC TV’s Australian Story. It was seen as a brave move considering her relatively conservative country music fanbase, but Cole found great support from the industry and audience – and also won over a legion of new fans. “If anything, it made me wish I’d done it a lot sooner,” she says, before noting that the support of her fans did not surprise her at all. The journey from her hometown Adelaide, through the wild country touring circuit of the 90s and early 2000s and eventually to her emergence as an inspirational female icon in recent years certainly makes for interesting reading “I resisted the urge to employ a ghost writer,” she says, “as I didn’t really feel like I’d be

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ROB PAPP

UP CLOSE & UNPLUGGED By Terri Lee Fatouros Rob Papp wooed diners at eighteen 78 @ Brooklands in Tanti Ave, Mornington recently when he was their featured artist in Come Dine with Me A La Carte dinner during the Mornington Winter Jazz Festival. All guests were greeted with a complimentary glass of Champagne on arrival, which set the mood for the quality jazz being played.

Entertainment Centre, just to name a few. Currently Papp’s main band is Blueshead, which sees him gigging all over Melbourne and NSW. However, the night I caught up with him in his Manhattan Trio outfit saw his broad jazz, blues, and rock spectrum shine through in the style of jazz he was playing. There’s no doubt Papp loses himself while playing. With eyes closed he’s riding his muse and you get the feeling this guy knows what’s going on, and knows it’s happening around him.

His ensemble aptly named Rob Papp and The Manhattan Trio comprised of Dale finch on double bass, Peter Cottier on drums and Papp on Gibson L5 guitar. Their intelligent rendition of modern jazz-fusion with overtones of funk was smooth, dry and simply…cool. Papp’s versatility and innovative musical prowess sets standards and it’s no wonder he is well loved and respected by fellow musicians and fans alike. He started playing at age 15 in his father’s jazz band then cut his teeth on rock and roll and continued to play just about everything else afterwards. A singer-songwriter in his own right, Papp has gigged in numerous bands, duos, gone solo, as well as been a recording artist. To quote from his bio: “Rob’s career was influenced from a very young age by College of the Arts founder Bruce Clarke who tutored Rob in a comprehensive education of reading, writing and playing music, and took him on as a protégé, teaching him all he knew about playing jazz”. Papp left for America in his earlier years to study at Guitar Institute of Technology in LA where he met and learnt from musical greats like Joe Pass, Tommy Tedesco, Howard Roberts, Jo Pass, Ike Izzacs, Bruce Clarke, Pat Martino, Steve Vi, and Robben Ford, geniuses in their own right and gained invaluable musical and technical experiences whilst living

there amongst it all. So impressive is Papp’s unassuming biography and personality that not many realize he established Blue Note College of Music in Well St, Frankston way back in 1988. This college helps so many musical hopefuls gain knowledge, confidence and invaluable experience to go out and passionately perform. Brendan Meyers now runs the college and has done so for the past six years, who incidentally with Ross Clark, affectionately known as Rossco started the Peninsula Blues Club held on the second Sunday of each month at the Frankston Bowling Club. Peninsula Blues Club attracts big name artists and is a must see each month. Papp’s repertoire is vast. He’s played at Crown Casino, The Melbourne and Sydney Art Centres, Melbourne Club and The

Cottier’s use of brushes instead of sticks in most of the songs and Finch’s intuitive bass, which incidentally is the distinguishing sound of a guitar trio in fusion jazz works in concert with Papp’s lead. The guys ebb and flow, as each knows instinctively when to allow the other to lead or go solo within the structure of the songs. Jazz is often played to an arrangement but with allowances of improvisation within the framework of the song. Cottier is no stranger to jazz either. He’s been the resident drummer in the Cerberus Navy Big Band for years and played in Top 40 cover bands and an Irish band. The same is said for Finch whose expertise on the double bass initiates that popular modern jazz-fusion sound we all recognize when heard. The guys incorporated their jazz bent with funk overtones on some cool tunes from George Benson, Eddy Harris, Miles Davis and Leon Russell. Putting one’s own experiences into the framework of a jazz song is a noticeable thing amongst jazz players and the boys were no exception to this.

As Papp explained: “Knowing the framework of a song and understanding western harmonies and mathematics enables one to play rhythmically off ideas developed in each tune as its being played. So you can either stay close to the melody or can go right out there. The span of what we want to do, and as a guitar trio sets our parameters rhythmically as we are not stuck to it like a blues or covers band for example, where you have to just play the tune.” Of late Papp’s been writing his own instrumentals in jazz fusion style as well as writing roots and blues based tunes with tendencies towards western harmonies. “My reference points are everyone from Louis Armstrong, McCoy Tyner to John McLaughlin, and in the styles of improv, I emulate them within my playing of that tune. So I might take on the voice of one of them but be more out there, play the melody, put in the chords, and think ‘what would the likes of say, McCoy Tyner do with this tune as he plays his keyboard’, so I think like that. Then I don’t care what these guys do,” he says cheekily while nodding his head towards Cottier and Finch, who chorus “We just fit in”. Papp isn’t into planning his shows as everything is different and depends on the venue. With his preferred genre of blues and his open admittance of being addicted to it, it’s no wonder his originals are laced with strong tones of blues jazz and modern rock overtones. Papp gigs everywhere on the peninsula, up town and all over. He is well sought after by most musicians due to his vast knowledge and experience and is a real pleasure to watch. For more info on Rob Papp, see robpapp.com

KJD PHOTOGRAPHY

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2015

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FRASER A. GORMAN By Lachlan Bryan

Fraser A. Gorman might look like a young Bob Dylan, but at least on debut album Slow Gum he sounds a little more like a young Lou Reed. Gorman has been quietly making a name for himself in Melbourne for a handful of years now, his name popping up in all the right places and his two previous releases, 7 inch Book of Love and the Fraser A. Gorman EP garnering praise from all the right people. Those who’ve been following the meteoric rise of Courtney Barnett (see pages 6-7) might take particular notice of Gorman. Fraser is signed to Milk! Records, the independent label started by Barnett back in 2012 to release her debut EP I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris. Gorman’s lyrics may be inward-looking, but his voice is raggedly uplifting and his band sounds genuinely joyous. It’s music for folks that miss the chaotic, indulgent but extremely pop-savvy sounds of the early 70s – and are also a little partial to the fashion sense. Victorians can get a taste of Fraser A. Gorman at his upcoming album launch shows at The Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood on Friday 17 July and The Barwon Club in Geelong on Friday 24 July.

HIT Productions

DE NOVO

AUSTRALIA DAY

Choreography by Rafael Bonachela, Alexander Ekman and Larissa McGowan

Saturday 15 August, 8pm

Thursday 27 August, 8pm

“10/10 – Sydney Dance Company has never looked stronger, sexier or more playful than in this thrilling triple bill.” Sun-Herald

Warning: Includes strobe lighting, smoke machine and coarse language.

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Tickets: Member $40, Full $51, Conc $47, U30 $30, Group 10+ $42 Duration: 105 minutes, incl. interval Advanced / Open Dance Workshop 14 August, 5pm | Ages: 16+ years | $15

WHAT’S ON

Photograph: Peter Greig

Sydney Dance Company

The Australia Day committee is gearing up to put on the town’s biggest party – but will the day be fair dinkum after all? A thoroughly modern ripper of a comedy written and directed by Jonathan Biggins. Warning: Contains strong language and adult themes. Recommended 15+ years.

Tickets: Member $43, Full $48, Conc $45, U30 $30, Group 10+ $45 Duration: 120 minutes, including interval

03 9784 1060 thefac.com.au Tickets:

Principal Theatre Partner Frankston Arts Centre is a Business Unit of Frankston City Council

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ALL THAT JAZZ By Melissa Walsh Main Street Mornington was abuzz on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend with the sights and sounds of the third Mornington Winter Jazz Festival. The Jazz Festival is a four-day celebration of music, art and heritage from across the peninsula and beyond. The 2015 festival saw Mornington come alive with a showcase of entertainment including live laneway painting with The Snakehole Gallery artists, live and local stages, roving jazz bands and pop up KidsZones. The cornerstone of the festival was the dynamic jazz program which offered music from across the musical spectrum. Headline performances included the divine Emma Pask , Adrian Cunningham and living legend George Golla with Jacki Cooper performing their recently released duo DC ‘Tea For Two’ as well as the charismatic Jude Perl, crowd pleasers Jazz Party, George Washingmachine in Feel The Manouche and the impeccable Vika Bull performing “AT LAST! The Etta James Story.”

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MINT Magazine x July

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Ticketed performances saw the nights and afternoons in Mornington ablaze with jazz and atmosphere. There were even free jazz

and music performances in venues and locations across Mornington all weekend long. Returning this year was the popular ‘Music After Dark ‘ in the Mornington Library, ‘Jazz n’ Swing’ afternoon at the Peninsula Grange, the Mornington Historical Railway ‘Jazz at the Station’ and the family fun at the Mornington Racecourse Queen’s Birthday race day. The Mornington Chamber of Commerce were delighted with the outcome of another successful festival. With just over 100 performances within Main Street and the surrounding venues across the weekend, the impact was significant, and a number of businesses indicated their takings tripled compared to a normal midwinter weekend. The Chamber would like to thank the sponsors and the public for supporting the event, which in three years has grown in size so that it now competes with the likes of Stonnington and Wangaratta. With a great festival team, the Mornington Chamber of Commerce sees a positive and successful future ahead for the festival.

bayside & mornington peninsula

FREE EVENT • FREE EVENT • FREE EVENT

Event Organiser Seminar Learn about: New event equipment available for loan Free Shire event marketing tools The new Shire event planning guide Limited spaces, bookings essential. Registrations close Monday 13th July. Visit www.mornpen.vic.gov.au or call the Events team on 1300 850 600. Date Thursday July 23 2015 Time 6.00 - 9.00pm Venue Peninsula Community Theatre 91 Wilsons Road Mornington

Featuring guest speaker Patrick Moriarty “Unlocking the secrets of successful fundraising”

www.mornpen.vic.gov.au or call 1300 850 600

PERRY KEYES By Lachlan Bryan When it comes to writing about the Australian experience, few songwriters are in the league of Paul Kelly. A couple spring to mind – Don Walker, for instance, in both his solo work and with Cold Chisel, and now Courtney Barnett, who has taken the world by storm recently with her tales of Melbourne inner-suburbia. Sydney’s Perry Keys is another who fits the bill, despite the fact he’s a little less famous than those three names. But some would go as far to say that, in terms of painting the Aussie picture, the 48 year-old Keyes is in a league of his own. Born in Redfern, Keyes has always written about the life he knows best – a life lived amid the chaos and decay of Sydney’s inner suburbs. He had his own bands in the late 80s and early 90s, but it was his solo records of the mid 2000s that really made the critics and audiences take notice. The Last Ghost Train Home, his second solo disc, was named album of the year by Radio National in 2007. This year, Keyes is back with new album Sunnyholt. Subject-wise, he’s moved his attention from the inner suburbs to the outer suburbs, but the storytelling remains as vivid and remarkable as ever. Victorians can check out Perry Keyes at Elsternwick’s Flying Saucer Club on Saturday 25 July. Tickets available at flyingsaucerclub.com.au

TIDBITS & TALES Recently the City of Kingston held its annual Harvest Festival at Roy Dore Reserve in Carrum. Petti McInnes, the Festival & Events communications & community relations coordinator outshone herself this year. Some of you may have already attended a number of the other annual events McInnes organises such as the fabulous Mordialloc Food and Wine Festival in March, Carols by Kingston in December and the cool Globe to Globe Festival in Clayton on Australia Day. This year in the Jam Café, the Up Close and Personal Acoustic Stage, which is set up for emerging artists and professional unplugged

MINT Magazine x July

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By Terri Lee Fatouros

sets literally sparkled with aspiring new talent. Leea Nanos, a 13-year-old vocalist captivated and mesmerised everyone, particularly with her stunning rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Apparently she has only been singing for a couple of years and is currently coached by David Jaanz, who says her voice is like Luther Vandross - deep, rich and well beyond her years and experience. She currently has three original songs out on iTunes, is winning heaps of singing competitions, while gigging at festivals, charity events and privately around Melbourne.

This talented Year 8 high school lovely is definitely worth checking out because she’s got some mighty fine talent.

took its place naturally in the continuous improvised flow of music. It was very well played.

Red Lantern Colony, an impromptu Jazz fusion with rhythm and melodies is a five piece band comprising of Tom Waltrich tabla, Daniel Cooper – guitar/glockenspiel, Daniel Tsang - violin, Niran Dasika - trumpet and Aidan Hodge on saxophone.

Huge thanks and appreciation to Petti McInnes for organising these brilliant events and festivals and giving the opportunity to the likes of up and coming talent, Leea Nanos and Red Lantern Colony a chance to shine.

The guys, all in their early 20s, are 4th year Monash Uni students undertaking a music degree.

Keep it up, Petti and cheers.

They explained that their brass section played to a set rhythm while the rest of them extemporises. Each instrument

If you have a band or an event you would like to showcase email me at terrirew@ hotmail.com

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MORNINGTON PENINSULA BREWERY

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AND THEN HE KISSED ME! And Then He Kissed Me! is a unique rock n roll show starring the defining all female American vocal group - The Crystals. Their Wall of Sound recordings, produced by the legendary Phil Spector, include And Then He Kissed Me, Da Do Ron Ron, He’s a Rebel, He’s Sure the Boy I Love and many more. Three Crystals’ songs are included in the Rolling Stone magazine list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The Crystals are headed up by Dee Dee Kenniebrew, who was in the original line up of The Crystals. Dave Somerville is the voice of the Canadian vocal group The Diamonds who had 16 chart records on Billboard in the US. Their chart toppers included Little Darlin’, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Silhouettes and The Stroll. The Diamonds’ Dave Somerville who, in addition to a stellar recording career, has performed on network television, musical theatre, commercial productions and in the most prestigious venues in the US such as Carnegie Hall. He is also an accomplished songwriter. The special Australian guest on And Then He Kissed Me! is the acclaimed Ray Burgess. With a string of hit records and television appearances

to his name it was Ray Burgess who toured with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Gene Pitney. Ray Burgess was frequently a television guest on Graham Kennedy’s In Melbourne Tonight, Brian Henderson’s Bandstand, Midday with Mike Walsh, The Don Lane Show and Young Talent Time as well as performances with Paul Hogan and Bert Newton. In response to many requests the Allstars will perform on the And Then He Kissed Me! tour. The Allstars can trace their pedigree back to the late fifties when rock n roll began. They have performed in the best venues in Australia and have shared the stage with Tom Jones, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, The Shadows, Chubby Checker, The Platters, The Coasters, Freddie & the Dreamers, Buddy Knox, Chan Romero, Gerry Marsden, Bobby Rydell, Johnny Preston, Johnny Tillotson and Buddy Holly’s Crickets. There are more than forty video and audio recordings of the Allstars in the National Film and Sound Archive and the Performing Arts Museum. As the legendary ARIA Hall of Fame DJ Stan Rofe said: “The Allstars are clearly the most authentic and professional rock ‘n’ roll group in Australia”.

HE’S A REBEL THEN HE KISSED ME DA DO RON RON HE’S SURE THE BO Y I LO

FRANKSTON ARTS CENTRE THURSDAY 6 AUGUST -

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ph: 9784

1060

’ LITTLE DARLIN

www.thecrystals.com.au

SILHOUETTES

THE STROLL

THE PALMS AT CROWN

SATURDAY 8 AUGUST -

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SHANE NICHOLSON By Lachlan Bryan Brisbane born Shane Nicholson has long been recognised as a fine singer-songwriter. His two collaborations with then-wife Kasey Chambers rank among the most critically acclaimed and popular local releases of recent times whilst his work as a producer for artists such as Angie Hart, Catherine Britt and Beccy Cole has garnered much praise and admiration from within the industry. In August, it will be Shane’s solo work on show here in Victoria, when he plays Red Hill’s MOTH (Music on the Hill – Friday 7 August) and Oakleigh’s Caravan Music Club (Saturday 8 August). He’s touring in support of Secondhand Man, the first single from his new album Hell Breaks Loose, his first solo album since 2011’s award-winning Bad Machines. This is also the first new music we’ve heard from Nicholson since his separation from Chambers. Nicholson’s songs are subtle and are most rewarding after repeat listens. He draws inspiration from nuanced songwriters like John Prine and Guy Clark, employing clever wordplay and narrative storytelling whilst delivering the songs in mellow, understated fashion. Listening rooms like MOTH and The Caravan are the ideal environment in which to enjoy his work. Local favourites The Weeping Willows will be Shane Nicholson’s support act at both shows.

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EXTRAORDINARY FUNK IS COOL MAN, ISMAILA By Terri Lee Fatouros Born in Sierra Leone and singing tunes seeped in roots with combos of funk, blues and reggae thrown into the pot and in his words “I kinda get folky when I throw in acoustics”, is cool dude, Ismaila. Ismaila is a natural born showman with a showbiz persona going way, way back to his early growing years in Sierra Leone. Coming from comparatively well to do parents who owned a respectable food shop selling the stable diet of their neighbourhood, they were also active in helping educate disadvantage children within their community. Often his extended family would enjoy the carnival atmosphere of street music, festivals and all the colourful dance bands around town, which of course impressed upon his young mind. His parents were smart, kind and understood children needed a decent education, so they sent him off to an English boarding school during his formative years, and it was during this time that Ismaila discovered the guitar and taught himself. This also peaked his interest in theatre and TV, which saw him portray a football player in the popular TV series A Touch of Frost that led him to appear in many other series as well as performing on the stage. However, his passion for music was taking a hold and after gigging in his indie band called The Rhythm Method around the country, he decided to focus on his writing and music instead. Luckily for us, he’s now lived in Australia for the past 20 years, steadily honing his song writing, music, and repertoire and gigging intermittently at various venues. But all this is about to change, as Ismaila is now ready to skyrocket. Says Ismaila on his genre, “I call my songs ‘throwback’, as they go back to the old days when people wrote songs that gave you scope to stretch and change them. Songs you can play on the

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ukulele or piano. Songs you can pump up and sing along to. I like all those Marley standards, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and lots of Carlos Santana tunes, cause I’m a funky blues player. “I write a lot of originals and the one you heard today called Secrets, is my version of an African pop song with strong beats about ‘love gone wrong’. “Visions of You is about a woman I was hoping to date. She had said to me if you want to date me then you have to write me a song, so I wrote two verses and two choruses and it’s probably the shortest song in the world,” he laughs. “My other song is a bluesy acoustic number called Keep your Love Alive. It’s about being satisfied, keeping your love alive, dancing in the streets and

being happy and contented.” Aspects of love seem to be a theme for Ismaila and it’s no doubt this theme will reflect in his future project of recording an acoustic album. Music is Ismaila’s refuge and counsellor and a way to disappear from the world. When writing, he’s very passionate and can get locked into intense bouts of creativity. Over the years he’s toured Papua New Guinea with his band and gigged in Queensland. He now has a regular residency at beach 162 in Frankston and the day I caught up with him he was playing his Fender Nashville Telecaster and a cool Matom Acoustic. His foot pedals were a line 6 HD 500 and a boss GT 3. The combination of his acoustic, originals and standards with

some played to backing tracks recorded from the ground up by keyboards/ drummer Mark Mingu, created a hip, rock fuelled, bluesy, funked up performance. I mean the dude was getting encores and wasn’t allowed to stop! Ismaila is engaging with a lovely approach and captivates his audience with stories, jokes and tales in between his song sets. But be aware though, you won’t be able to sit still because his cool funk will get you up dancing in the blink of an eye. Ismaila is back at beach 162, 160-162 Beach Street, Frankston on Sunday 16 August.

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WENDY AND JON WADE SWING WITH STYLE By Terri Lee Fatouros The Mornington Winter Jazz Festival kicked off to a great start when Wendy and Jon Wade quartet delighted all with their swing Jazz set at God’s Kitchen recently, pulling

in a packed house.

The whole show was cultured and extremely enjoyable with that ‘pizazz’ showmanship that professional swing jazz musos have.

Wade’s smooth sound is ‘blues inspired swing jazz with strong rhythm influences’. This is evident too in their latest album entitled New Blues on the Block, an alloriginal compilation of contagious swing jazz beats that is extremely enjoyable. In fact, I’d go so far and say if you’ve been iffy about jazz in the past, after one listen to New Blues on the Block you’ll be hooked.

The best way to describe Wendy and Jon

They are really good.

Their polished and sophisticated sound comprised of Jon Wade on Hammond keyboard, Alex House on guitar, Peter Hodges drums, and Wendy Wade on vocals.

Performing as a Hammond trio produces that inescapable jazz sound made famous by other jazz greats in the past such as Hammond player Brian Auger, predominant in the 60s and 70s, whose band Steam Packet boosted a young Rod Stewart and Long John Baldry in it. So with Hodges playing his drums with an intelligent sensitivity and mostly feather hitting his kick drum, within a triplets feel, often bouncing the high hat on the up beat, either on the second and fourth note or sometimes with the emphasis on the second eighth note as well; it’s fair to say technically speaking, this describes the sound of swing jazz with a Hammond Trio. Each instrument has scope to improvise within the structured song being played. For example, when Wade played bass notes on his keyboard, House played chords on his guitar and vice versa. Says Wade: “A lot of jazz can be too polite or very structured, and yet we create the freedom within a structured sound for spontaneity and express original sounds rhythmically. Alex and Peter move in and out, we all listen to each other and swing and improvise within the songs structure.”

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grace and style to her performance. You could say she swings with style. There is a lot of variety within the Wade’s performance. You’ve got the traditional chamber jazz mixed with full on swing, along with their original tunes imbued with authentic classic standards. Influences from Count Basie, George Shearing, Jacky Byard, pianist to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Etta James could be heard in their uncomplicated jazzy ballads as they sang standards from early 60s including classics from Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and latter day Van Morrison. It invoked a delightful journey of memories of that great era with modern day overtones. Jon Wade is no stranger to the jazz scene either. Before leaving his birthplace of England he gigged with Peter Koe the renowned sax player on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Performed with Ronnie Scott’s, Cleo Lane and her husband John Dankworth, jazz trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Martin Drew, and Laurence Juber guitarist from Paul McCartney’s Wings band. They have now settled on the Mornington Peninsula after gigging in Europe, America, England and Australia and are enjoying regular residencies at Dizzy’s Jazz Club in Richmond, Ruby’s Music Room in Bennett’s Lane in the city, and the Leaf & Bean in Mornington, calling it Jazz and Shiraz on Sunday afternoons. The New Blues on the Block album is superb. All songs are inspired by personal life experience and are heartfelt. Respected musicians like Jimmy Slogget of Max Merritt fame, Ed Wilson of the Daly Wilson Big band fame and respected jazzman, Budi Winarto performed on this album.

Wendy Wade’s voice had clarity, great diction and was distinctive with a delightful tone that suffered no pretentiousness while accommodating her range easily; it’s like a fragrant melodic articulation caressing the ear.

Jon and Wendy Wade are the real deal and are a must see.

Her classical training of six years, and experiences as a choral and acapella singer gave

Truly you will be inspired and delighted and be a keen convert after listening to this album. It’s awesome.

To listen to sample tracks and buy/download go to jonandwendywade.com Or call 0400 689 178 for booking and inquires.

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ARE YOU READY FOR BATTLE? Mornington Peninsula Push Over Battle of the Bands Musicians, bands and solo artists are being called on to enter the annual Mornington Peninsula Push Start Battle of the Bands.

Last year’s Battle of the Bands winner, “The Moody Spooks”

Presented by the young members of the Impakt Freeza committee, with assistance from Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Youth Services team, the Mornington Peninsula Push Start Battle of the Bands will be held at Peninsula Community Theatre on August 21 and is the premier gig for up-andcoming artists to battle it out for a chance to represent the Mornington Peninsula in the South East regional finals. Any genre of music is welcome for acts which can be bands or solo or duo performers. The competition is open to young people under the age of 21 who

live, work or go to school on the Mornington Peninsula. The event is judged by independent judges from the local music scene and a range of prizes is up for grabs. The event will also be broadcast live on RPP radio station. This is a great opportunity for young local musos to showcase their talents in an event organised by young people, for young people. Applications for Mornington Peninsula Push Over Battle of the Bands close: July 22, 2015. Event date: August 21, 2015. Registration info: http://bit. ly/1dcPQX9 More info: www.facebook.com/ impaktfreeza

“A DEEPLY FELT REFLECTION OF THE MAN. SAVOR EVERY MINUTE.” – NEW YORK TIMES DUET PROUDLY PRESENTS

THE NEW YO R PRODUC K TION

JOHN WATERS with STEWART D’ARRIETTA

SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER FRANKSTON ARTS CENTRE HURRY - 1 SHOW ONLY!

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2015

THEFAC.COM.AU OR PHONE 9784 1060 bayside & mornington peninsula

ROSEBUD BUSKFEST 2015 Rosebud’s busking festival will launch on the morning of Saturday 14 November. Once again there is an impressive $1000 cash prize for the overall winner, plus other prizes of cash, music services and gigs at local venues. Performers with skills in music, dance, acrobatic skills and comedy, that are transferable to a street environment, are encouraged to submit their entry before Monday 31 August. Speaking to last year’s overall winner, Brendon Mellere, we hear he has spent time since his win playing gigs around the Peninsula, while working on the production of an album. Brendon invested his $1000 winnings on equipment for his own recording studio. Asked what winning had meant for his music career, he replied that his confidence in public performance had increased, and it also created a fanbase for him, giving him more recognition as a musician.

The Best Group winners, The Bean Project, have also been busy in recent months performing in Sydney, Hobart and Canberra and have just released a self-titled EP, which is available at thebeanproject. bandcamp.com or at facebook.com/ thebeanproject. Ben Langdon from the duo, said that for them the Buskfest win had opened doors to gigs in new venues plus direct access to production professionals previously unknown to them. The guys all encourage emerging performers to grab this amazing opportunity by entering this year’s busking festival, saying how much fun the day itself had been, never mind the great opportunities it had offered their music career. For more information on how to enter the competition (registration essential by Monday 31 August), go to facebook.com/ rosebudbuskfest or call 0403 889 559.

Heritage Tavern & Restaurant

Set on 2 acres of garden space in a 1930’s house, the Heritage Tavern embodies the ambience of a gentler era.

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Family friendly with space for the kids to play.

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Reasonably priced meals with plenty of slow cooked options.

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LIVE MUSIC Sundays 3-6pm NO COVER CHARGE 3059 Frankston Flinders Rd, Phone: 5983 2597 (Balnarring 3918 opposite the Balnarring Shopping Centre)

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HIP TO BE COUNTRY By Lachlan Bryan

With winter now well and truly upon us many music fans have gone into hibernation. It’s sad to admit, but the idea of a warm fire and a comfy couch is sometimes more appealing than a car or public transport trip out to a music venue – even for hardcore music socialites like myself. But, if you’re of a country persuasion, you’ll need to toughen up and grab your hat and scarf – for there are great artists headed our way over the next month or so. In July, Melbourne plays host to Ryan Adams. If you’re not familiar with the North Carolina native, you’d be well advised to start with Heartbreaker, the album he made in 2000 after leaving his band Whiskeytown. In some ways, Adams is the guy most responsible

MINT Magazine x July

2015

for helping country music find a new audience, even though he himself tries to distance himself from the genre at any given opportunity. His Melbourne shows are at The Forum Theatre on Sunday 19 July and Monday 20 July. Both are already close to selling out. Shane Nicholson will visit us for shows at Red Hill’s MOTH on Friday 7 August and Oakleigh’s Caravan Music Club on Saturday 8 August. The multiple ARIA Award and Golden Guitar winner is due to release Hell Breaks Loose, his first album of new songs since Wreck and Ruin (his second collaboration with then-wife Kasey Chambers) back in 2012. Nicholson is one of our most talented singer-songwriters in any genre, and visits to Victoria are rare, so I recommend booking ahead of time.

The Caravan Club continues to be the best place to check out left-field country and roots. On Saturday 1 August, the venue will host Raised by Eagles, a very fine local outfit, whilst on Friday 7 August the alwaysoutstanding Bill Jackson will launch his new album The Wayside Ballads: Volume 1. Jackson is amongst my favourite writers - he pens the kind of songs I suspect others will be covering for years to come. But of course a song is always best when sung by its creator, so hearing Jackson’s weathered tones and delicate guitar picking live in person is the ultimate way to experience his great body of work. Finally, this month I ask country fans (and music fans in general) to send good thoughts

the way of Catherine Britt. Recently Catherine was diagnosed with breast cancer and, whilst she’s caught it early and she’s winning the battle, she’ll still need all of our support to keep her energy levels up and keep her out on the road. Catherine’s current album Boneshaker is, at least in my book, her best work to date – I strongly advise you to check it out. Lachlan Bryan is primarily a singer-songwriter. His third album Black Coffee is out now. He also moonlights as a gifted observer and music journalist, writing monthly for Mint Magazine on all things folk/country/bluegrass. If you’ve got a new release, upcoming show or you’d like to get in touch with Lachlan, drop him a line at country@mintmagazine.com.au bayside & mornington peninsula

BLUES ILLUSTRATED By Greg Fisher

HAT FITZ & CARA ROBINSON This year alone Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson (pictured) have not only represented Queensland in Memphis USA at the International Blues Challenge but they’ve also just returned from a hugely successful three month tour of Canada, Europe and the UK. Hat Fitz is a veteran wild man of the blues scene in Australia. He has a record 18 straight appearances at Byron’s East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, a record that is not likely to ever be broken, and one which bears testimony to his amazing live performances and popularity with festivalgoers. Cara draws on her soul background and although blessed with a sensational voice she was not content to be labelled as just a singer she has taken to drumming duties as well as washboards, flute and tin whistle. Locally they have amazed audiences at the recent Mordialloc Food and Wine festival and the Blues at the Briars festival. You can checkout one of their recent performances at the 2015 Blues at the Briars festival using this QR code.

YOUNG BLUES GUITARIST AWARD The Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award is an initiative of Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival and commenced with the inaugural award in 2014. Phil Lazenby was one of Bendigo’s most loved and respected music x arts x events x entertainment

community figures. He was an accomplished musician and had a gift in his ability to grow and inspire local musicians. Lazenby passed away in 2013 and the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival now honour his memory with this Award. The aim of the Award is to encourage young artists. The prize for the 2015 Young Blues Guitarist is a 2010 Fender American Standard Telecaster and case previously owned by the late Phil Lazenby. Applicants must be aged 20 years or under on 7 November this year. To enter visit QR code link. The final will be held on Saturday 7 November.

BLUES FOR LOST SOULS Blues for Lost Souls is a Blues music event held annually to raise both awareness and monies for the homeless and less fortunate. Last year over $19,000 was raised. This year the event will present 10 class acts, silent auctions, raffles and more. Donations of warm clothing such as beanies, scarves and gloves are appreciated and this year donations of ring pull lid tinned foods are especially sought. Don’t miss this wonderful event to help the homeless on Saturday 8 August at the Williamstown RSL. Call 9397 7642, doors open at 2pm with bands playing from 3-11pm.

WINTER BLUES SHOWCASE

A SAFARI HEADING TO MOAMA

The second of the Mornington Peninsula Blues Sessions WINTER SHOWCASE is set to return to the Peninsula Community theatre on Saturday 11 July and will feature four of Australia’s finest Blues musicians, Jimi Hocking, Ian Collard, Alison Penny and Shannon Bourne. Each of the artists will play both acoustically and in an electric configuration and the night closes out with an all in jam. The audience number is capped for the comfort of patrons, so don’t delay in securing your tickets. More details of the event are available at morningtonpeninsulabluessessions.com

Our Peninsula Blues and Soul outfit Safari Motel will be playing at the ECHUCA-MOAMA Winter Blues Festival this year 24, 25 & 26 July 2015. This festival boasts a huge line up of national talent – 36 acts, 145 performances across 29 stages over three days. Book your accommodation early and see winterblues.com.au for more details.

Lachy Doley Group (Album - Conviction)

CATCH A SOUTHBOUND TRAM

Blue Eyes Cry (Album - Pull Me In).

After meeting at a MBAS Blues Workshop in 2014 a new 5 piece Blues band is born, Southbound Tram. The Southbound Tram team consists of Ros Pach on vocals, Bob Agnew on guitar and vocals, Matt Ormsby on guitar, Sam Tilders on bass and Scott Kelty on drums and vocals. Whilst still relatively new on the gig scene their set list include versions of tunes made famous by Koko Taylor, Clapton, The Black Keys, Howling Wolf, The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse with some bluesy originals also in the mix. Southband Tram are about having fun, making good music, a bit of blues and a bit of soul Please check them out here.

Fiona Boyes (Album - Box & Dice)

Bluescorp (Album - It is what it is)

Lazy Eye (Album - Single Malt Blues)

NATIONAL BLUES & ROOTS AIRPLAY CHART This month’s top 5 on the National Blues & Roots Airplay chart are:

PENINSULA BLUES CLUB The Peninsula Blues Club presents live music on the second Sunday of each month at the Frankston Bowling Club, 64 Yuillie Steet (Cnr Yuille & William St) Frankston South. Sunday 12 July will feature the return of Chris Wilson as the feature artist. Doors open at 6pm. Greg writes monthly for MINT Magazine and if you know of something happening in the Blues world drop him a line at: bluesillustrated@gmail.com or at facebook. com/GregFisherBluesIllustrated

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CLASSIC CUTS while High Falootin’ Woman is more of a boogie driven blues track.

American three-piece rock band Grand Funk Railroad formed in 1969 and were quickly signed to Capitol Records.

Mr Limousine Driver treats us with some heavier blues with lots of feeling, and I’m guessing may have influenced Lenny Kravitz’s 1989 hit Mr Cab Driver.

Their first year was an extremely busy one, having performed at the Atlanta Pop Festival where they were given a huge reception. They also managed to pump out two excellent albums in their first 12 months together.

In Need has all the ingredients of a classic 70s rock song featuring some extremely tasteful guitar and harmonica solos.

The second album titled Grand Funk can arguably be regarded as their self-titled album as the band simply became known as Grand Funk shortly after the release of their first album. In 1969 it would have been appropriate to label Grand Funk Railroad as a heavy rock band, although not as heavy as the likes of Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. GFR’s line up consisted of Don Brewer on drums, Mel Schacher on bass and main man Mark Farner providing vocals and some seething guitar work. The album overall has lashings of soulful rock riffs with plenty of fuzz and over driven guitars.

Winter and My Soul is another bluesy rocker done in pure Grand Funk style. Each track on the album seems slightly better than the last which brings us to the second last track Paranoid (not the Black Sabbath song) which is mighty hard to beat. It kicks off with Got This Thing on the Move, a riff laden, soul punchin’, fuzz crazed track which pretty much sets up the mood of the album. As with most of the album’s tracks, Got This Thing on the Move has catchy riffs and moody tempo changes. Please don’t worry is a funky sort of a song with some very nice Cream-like bass playing

MISSED THE MARK

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It starts off with a bit of muffled room chatter interrupted by an air raid siren before launching into the dirtiest meanest riff on the album along with blistering fuzz wah and some mesmerising and frantically insane guitar soloing.

had ever seen. Given the contents, perhaps that’s just as well. In 1992 the world was going grunge crazy and it was all Blundstone boots and lumberjack shirts as far as the eye could see. Into this unwelcoming environment, Teen Queens were thrust. But instead of mockery, their cover of Phil Spector’s masterpiece Be My Baby was a bona fide hit, getting all the way to number 6 on the ARIA charts. That, I greatly suspect, says more about the song than anything else. Imitation is usually the

Paranoid, the album closes with an almost 10-minute cover version of The Animals’ Inside Looking Out. The way they have interpreted this song leaves little resemblance to its original. They have completely taken the song and turned it into their own recognisable Grand Funk classic. Strangely although the album only reached number 11 on the US charts, they were the top earning band in the country at the time. After checking out this album you may want to investigate further into Grand Funk. A few of my other personal favourites are E Pluribus Funk and Survival, both from 1971, and their debut album On Time from 1969. So I reckon it’s time to grab a copy of Grand Funk and turn it up loud!

Up until this point all tracks are written by Farner, but rather than leaving the listener in stunned silence after the amazing

By Stuart McCullough

sincerest form of flattery but not on this occasion. In a sense, they were on a hiding to nothing – recording Be My Baby is the equivalent of deciding you might try and draw your own version of the Mona Lisa but instead of paint, you decide to use crayons and butcher’s paper and expect that no one much will notice the difference. It was bound to end badly.

As songs go, it was indisputably awesome. So awesome, in fact, that upon hearing it on the radio, Beach Boy Brian Wilson pulled his car over to the side of the road because he was so overwhelmed by its sheer thundering presence and all-round wonderfulness. Reverb, castanets, not to mention the brilliant Ronnettes and an orchestra conducted by Hal Blaine all combine to make it one of the most remarkable and memorable records of all time. It was, in many respects, the absolute embodiment of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. What better way to desecrate that crowning sonic achievement than by rerecording it in Australia with a Casio keyboard and three singers/actresses? Things were supposed to be so different for Teen Queens. The idea was to put together a television show about a girl group in Sydney. To be fair, the series was to be set in the 1960s, long before the Casio keyboard emerged as a threat to human existence on par with global warming and before Phil Spector went officially off the deep end and decided it was acceptable to wear a six foot afro wig to court. But the television series never eventuated. As a result, we were left with the soundtrack to a series that no one

By Ray McGrotty (Record City)

They didn’t stop at just a single. In fact, there were two more singles: I Can’t Help Myself (which could easily be a comment on the enterprise as a whole) and Love How You Love Me, the latter also a Phil Spector hit. Then there was an album. Entitled Get Happy!, it is not to be confused with the song Get Happy performed by Judy Garland, Get Happy by the Partridge Family or the album Get Happy!! (behold the ironic use of the double exclamation point!(!)) by Elvis Costello and The Attractions. The singles and the album served only to re-prove Einstein’s Law of Diminishing Returns, with the long-playing record only managing to stumble in to the top forty. The band broke up the following year. Phil Spector went to prison. To the best of my knowledge, these events are wholly

unrelated. One member of Teen Queens went on to become a member of Hi-5, who I’ve long considered to be The Rolling Stones to The Wiggles’ Beatles in the world of children’s entertainment. There have, to date, been no reunion tours or critical reappraisal. That changes as of now. The campaign to have Teen Queens inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame starts here. Anyone can celebrate long-term success. But, in truth, the entire industry is one of hits and misses and these glorious missteps are just as worthy of celebration as anything else. Bring them up on stage! Let them take their bow and receive the acknowledgement of their peers! Allow them to bathe in the glory of a job done in difficult circumstances! Just don’t play their version of Be My Baby at the ceremony. Use Phil Spector’s instead. It will make for a better night all-round.

Check it our for yourself... you’ve been warned... bayside & mornington peninsula

Mint Magazine, PO Box 588, Hastings, 3915 Email: letters@mintmagazine.com.au

gazine

a Dear Mint MMagazine, Thank you for your letter dated 25th June 2015. At the shire, we appreciate residents alerting us to maintenence issues such as potholes. We then do our best to have them repaired as quickly as possible. Your letter seemed a little menacing when it stated “make sure you fill this pothole right to the top beause we plan to drive over it and if our car gets damaged we’ll send you the bill”. We dispatched a vehicle to the location only to find the address was the Moorooduc Quarry. We thought it was a funny joke, and all had a laugh (and then doubled the rates on your property). But, the mail we received today with a bill requiring us to pay for “A new Aston Martin as the pothole consumed our old one” was a bridge too far. We doubt you ever owned an Aston Martin to drive into the “pothole”, and if you did, we will not be paying for its replacement. Yours sincerely, The Shire Customer Service Team. Dear Mint Magazine, As the dispute resolution department for Combined Energy, we are all about finding ways forward with our customers, but your request for us to resolve your account issues by installing a flat solar panel array on your roof with “a giant H with a circle around it” on the roof is a request we have never had before. We will have to be put to middle management. Also, we still have not received our techni-

cian back. Regards, Combined Energy. Dear Mint Magazine, Thank you for your recent letter. We accept your apology for the appaling disrespect shown to our Great Leader, Kim Jong Un. He was very pleased to accept your gift of tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert. He is particularly fond of the song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together as it reminds him of the former defence minister he had executed with an anti-aricraft gun. However, I digress. The problem is, we now realize that the tickets are not for the upcoming “The 1989 World Tour”, but rather 2013’s “The Red Tour”. Kim Jong Un was, naturally, very disappointed, but didn’t take grave offence at your act of imperial deceit. Indeed, he has a gift for you in return. Please find a photo enclosed. It will be delivered to you soon enough... Choi Kwang - Minister of People’s Armed Forces Dear Mint Magazine, Remember when kids were called names like John and Rebecca? Now evey kid is called Crusoe, Burger, Orchid, Gilmore, Mango, Rilo, Alpha, Cobain or Rogue. What was wrong with John or Rebecca? Yours sincerely, Apple Pawk Smith

YOUTUBE GEMS STORMING THE STAGE.. KANYE, KANYE, KANYE... Kanye West ruined Taylor Swift’s night at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 after storming the stage during her acceptance speech.

KANYE WAS PROBABLY INSPIRED BY NATHANIAL HORNBLOWER The original stage storming was by Beastie Boy’s Adam Yauch in 1994, dressed as his alter ego, Nathanial Hornblower. The best line: “I had all the ideas for Star Wars, and everything...”

DON’T MESS WITH NICKI MINAJ... OR HER SECURITY TEAM A fan jumps on stage and grabs Nicki Minaj. Gets lots of booty... all of them attached to her security team’s legs.

NOT EVEN THE POPE IS SAFE FROM A STAGE STORMING Yo, Pope Benedict XVI, I’m gonna let you finish... but Pope John Paul II had the best video of all time!

POOR TAYLOR CAN’T GET A BREAK... Taylor’s security detail appears to be on long service leave with this one. The guy storms the stage, climbs the stairs, and hands Taylor a note. She was just relieved it wasn’t Kanye.

music x arts x events x entertainment

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TASTE OF SORRENTO By Melissa Walsh The last weekend in May saw Sorrento hosting its sixth mouthwatering food and wine event with a weekend long feast of activities including master classes, cooking demos and tastings, themed lunches and dinners, gourmet menus, wine, beer, and a foodies market. The whole weekend was a great success with food related, gourmet activities, and cooking demonstrations from chefs from hatted restaurants including Ian Curley from The European group of restaurants, Adam D’Sylva from Coda and Tonka, Paul Mercurio, and Daniel Wilson from Huxtabel and Huxtaburger. The Three Palms Restaurant Spiegeltent was set up as a taste marquee where cooking demonstrations were held during the weekend. Local chef, Barry Iddles from Sorrento Catering and Brett Johnson from Acquolino held cooking masterclasses. Sunday saw the foodies market in Ocean Beach Road, along the footpath, where musicians and entertainers

helped create a fabulous food lovers atmosphere. Over 5000 people attended the event which has continued to grow each year, with visitors from Melbourne and regional areas raving about the Peninsula produce, and nearly every ticketed event sold out. A fundraising event held at the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club, called Skinny Duck Flies South, was hailed a huge success with $42,000 raised for Fare Share, a charity which redistributes food for charitable organisations. Being part of the Feed Melbourne Campaign, Fare Share also receives funds from the Lord Mayor’s charitable foundation, equalling the funds raised on the night. Former MasterChef professional, Michael Demagistris, held a fun filled Italian masterclass at Buckley’s Chance, putting on a multi course feast and demonstrating how to make the perfect risotto.

KJD PHOTOGRAPHY

HERITAGE 3059

hot shots

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RED HILL BREWERY NOW OPEN

BREWERS CHOICE WEEKEND Get your hands on The Brewer’s secret stash. The annual Beerfest! Is on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, 11am-6pm both days. This annual event just keeps getting bigger and better. The Brewer has been forced to share his secret stash of aged and limited edition ales. 10 specialty, award winning ales will be on tap for one weekend only in July. Beers featured include multiple years of Imperial Stout, cask conditioned beers, beer on hand pump, many famous seasonal brews such as Temptation and Hop Harvest Ale, and there is always a few other little treats hidden away…

EVERY FRI, SAT & SUN Serving light lunches on Fridays with Red Gum BBQ in residence on weekends with low n slow southern style BBQ.

Red Gum BBQ will be smokin’ up a storm with their insanely good US style southern smoked goods. Such a great match for beer. $28 per person includes a limited edition printed pint glass to take home, filled with great beer of course. Steins must be booked at redhillbrewery.com.au – they always sell out. No bookings required to just drop by for a pot, pint, paddle or BBQ. Call 5989 2959 or email info@redhillbrewery. com.au. Red Hill Brewery, 88 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South. redhillbrewery.com.au

Brewer’s Secret Stash Sat 18th & Sun 19th July Get your hands on the Brewer’s secret stash of rare beers, our annual beerfest.

STAY AND PLAY AT THE BREWER’S COTTAGE

@ REDHILLBREWERY

11am-6pm, 88 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South Ph: 5989 2959 www.redhillbrewery.com.au

Heritage Tavern & Restaurant

At the back of the Tavern, behind a hedge and a tall white gate, there is a quiet garden. In the garden are large shady trees. An oak holds centre stage but near it is an old palm tree, arbours of roses and scatterings of seasonal flowers. A brick pathway leads our brides to the centre of the garden. There, amongst family and friends couples

are married. This garden is a beautiful place to hold your wedding ceremony.

Call Laura our Functions Manager on 5983 2597 and organise a visit.

3059 Frankston Flinders Rd, Phone: 5983 2597 (Balnarring 3918 opposite the Balnarring Shopping Centre)

Email: theheritage1@bigpond.com.au

www.heritage3059.com.au music x arts x events x entertainment

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SOUNDS LIKE SURF Imagine holding a party in a big top tent erected on the side of Melbourne’s Yarra River. Inside, there’s a skateboard ramp big enough for three cars to drive up side by side and the live music comes from one of the biggest bands of the time. There seems no end to the free booze and the party’s head count is set at about 100. And, best of all, someone else was paying. Seems a bit unreal, but that was the lot of the Breakway boys in November 1975. The three owners of Victorian-based surfing magazine Breakway had been approached by an entrepreneur wanting to cash in on the emerging surfing lifestyle scene. Knowing that the surfing idyll wasn’t just restricted to those living near the coast, the entrepreneur saw central Melbourne as the logical place to hold a surf expo – something like the car or home shows that annually attracted thousands to the Exhibition Buildings. So Surfworld ’75 was duly held: exhibitors’ stalls, bands and the skateboard ramp inside the big top and “skurfing” – surfboards towed behind speed boats, the forerunner to wake boarding – on the Yarra. The event opening was a clever meeting of worlds, music and surfing, with Skyhooks lead singer Graeme “Shirley” Strachan and former world champion surfer Midgett Farrelly ceremonially cutting an occy (elastic) strap for the TV and press. Strachan, who along with his band mates had adopted the mid-1970s onstage glam rock (dress-up and make-up) image, was also a surfer. Once a regular at Phillip Island – where his mates had nicknamed him Shirley because of his long, curly blond locks – his spontaneous performances at the San Remo pub and in the waves of Woolamai were getting fewer in proportion to the increasing popularity of Skyhooks. The band was fiercely proud of its Melbourne roots, and one of the first to not shy away from referring to the city’s suburbs in its lyrics. Shadowfax, which also played at Surfworld, included Rip Curl employee, Gary Crothall, who is still working for the Curl and still playing in bands. Security was by young members of the Peninsula Surfriders Club. The hurly burly of working the crowds was no surprise for club member Chris Fowler as his father John was one of the organisers of the Sunbury Pop Festival. The three-day Surfworld ambled along and was probably a bit ahead of its time to be a

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raging financial success. But the after party, with the lucky 100 being entertained by the Little River Band (hired for about $200 in a deal struck before their fame (and booking fees) skyrocketed. While the band played, a panel van (what else?) driven by a Phillip Island surf shop owner Laurie Thompson became “bogged” half way up the skate ramp. Almost without blinking, the skaters adjusted their downhill trajectories to swerve around the new obstacle and the band, led by Glenn Shorrock, didn’t miss a beat. Thompson had to wait until the big top was taken down the following day before a crane could be brought in to remove his van. Breakway (now online at breakway.com.au) was published by keen surfer Ted Bainbridge (Peninsula Surf Centre) and journalists Tony Murrell and Keith Platt. It was printed at Standard Newspapers, Cheltenham and run out of the Trigger Bros shop at Chelsea and then the first of Peninsula Surf Centre’s retail outlets in Nepean Highway, Frankston. The photo darkroom was above the adjoining butcher’s shop. The beginning of the magazine coincided with the emergence of surfing from being an undercurrent culture to the mainstream. Advertising agencies were recommending it be used in ads for all sorts of products that had nothing to do with surfing and surfers were realising there was money to be made from their sport. Professionalism was just around the corner and the future heavyweights of the surf industry – Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Balin, Billabong, Ocean & Earth, Piping Hot – were early in the industry line-up. Their owners, all surfers, had almost stumbled into the business looking for an occupation that would allow them to go surfing whenever the waves were breaking. Like a snowball gathering speed and size rolling down a hill, surfing became commercial. The 1970s was a period of transformation and Breakway inadvertently caught the wave that commercialised a lifestyle, from December 1973 until January 1978. In all, there were 47 issues. Having music and movie sections in Breakway was almost a non-brainer. Surfers were party animals and taped music was a necessity to background those long drives up and down the coast. As well as reviewing records (12 inch vinyl LPs) the magazine ran interviews, profiles and articles about such artists as Mike Oldfield and his breakout release, Tubular Bells (Virgin Records); Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild bayside & mornington peninsula

Side (would it get radio air time?); Skyhooks’ Living in the ‘70s; Eric Clapton; Bob Dylan; Mark Holden (when he was a relatively unknown singer and decades before he was an X Factor judge); Status Quo; the Doobie Brothers; Little River Band; Brian Ferry; and Richard Clapton (in Melbourne for concerts and would go back to Sydney by train because he didn’t like flying). In the May 1975 edition of Breakway Eric Clapton and his band were reviewed and photographed playing a series of concerts at Melbourne’s Festival Hall. After ignoring crowd calls to play Crossroads, Clapton leaned into the mike and said: “Cream, there’s no one from that band on this stage.” The review went on: “Clapton kept his face to the audience but kept his hands, for a reasonably large part of the show, at rest on his guitar. … And so [after Sydney] ended a god’s first coming to Australia. Resurrection complete.” In July of the same year Mark Holden was being introduced to Australia via a $15,000 EMI promotion tour which included Kerrie Bidell and Ross Ryan. Holden, who said he’d been a surfer at 16, told Breakway his next album would be “more mature”. His song Mike’s by the Sea was about his surfing days. In August newspaper journalist Tom Wiles attended an all-in TV, radio and press interview with a spirited and sometimes testy

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Lou Reed. “Don’t tangle with me, you’ll get eaten,” Reed fire back at one stage. In March 1976 Dale Peterson tracked down Patrick Simmons, who’d replaced Tom Johnstone for the Doobie Brothers’ Australian tour. He felt the band was better received in Oz and Japan than the United Kingdom and listed the Reneee Gayer Band as “probably tops [of Australian bands] as far as I’m concerned”, quickly adding praise for Pantha, the Doobie’s support. Record store owner and radio DJ Rod Stone wrote a monthly Soundwaves column, following the ins and outs of the music industry, including a piece in April 1976 about the legality of tape recording records. In January 1975 he reminded readers of his earlier warning that album prices were about to hit $6.95. A year earlier he was writing about the fortunes being made by Mike Oldfield on the back of Tubular Bells, comparing Gary Glitter to something out of The Exorcist and how Cat Stevens came up with the name for his latest album, Buddha and the Chocolate Box. In December 1977 Breakway noted the deaths in a plane crash of three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd – singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, back-up singer Cassie Gaines. The group’s Sweet Home Alabama put them at odds (some say wrongfully) with Neil Young fans. The photo accompanying the article was taken by

Keith Platt in February of that year as Lynyrd Synyrd performed in an old picture theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. Platt had stumbled on the band when he heard, and watched, a morning sound check (before being evicted). Richard Clapton was interviewed by Breakway in November 1977 at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Hotel. It was 11am and he sat drinking his first coffee for the day surrounded by the previous night’s empty bottles. Recently back from Europe, Clapton was promoting Goodbye Tiger. “I’ve never been super ambitious, I’ve been sorta slack,” he said. Going slow was also one of his reasons for preferring the train to flying. Just eight months after scoring the Little River Band for a song (pun intended) at Surfworld, Breakway’s July 1976 edition told of the band’s two gold albums and success in Australia and overseas. An interview with Deep Purple’s David Coverdale in March 1975 revealed the band was paid $250,000 to perform at that year’s Sunbury Pop Festival. Coverdale left the band one year later just before it disbanded, going on to form the successful Whitesnake. Digital reproductions of the original issues of Breakway are available at breakway. com.au. The website continues to grow with the addition of more contemporary articles and features and has links to Facebook and Instagram.

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SAMUEL JOHNSON TALKS UP SEX WITH STRANGERS By Andrea Loiuse Thomas With his Cheshire cat grin and consummate charm, actor, Samuel Johnson has one of Australia’s most recognised film and television faces. He’s equally well known for his dulcet toned voice over work and for setting a world record riding a unicycle around Australia (15, 995 km!) raising money for breast cancer research/awareness through Love Your Sister an organisation he and sister Connie created after her breast cancer

MINT Magazine x July

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diagnosis. In 2009, Johnson co-founded Straightjacket Productions with director Lucy Freeman. Currently they are touring Laura Eason’s Sex With Strangers. Funny, insightful and sexy too, the play stars Johnson and Tottie Goldsmith. It’s about the relationship between a Gen X academic/author and a best-selling Gen Y blogger. I chatted with Johnson before the show comes to Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale.

MINT: Tell us a bit about Sex with Strangers… JOHNSON: It’s essentially about a guy and a girl. Tottie is playing the conservative - an older professor of literature who hasn’t quite jumped on the tech wave yet. I’m the young scallywag who pretty much relies on digital communication. I’m really proud of this show. Laura Eason, who is arguably the best writer on House of Cards (Netflix), wrote this play. It’s done great things in America and I

thought it was really important that we see it here. MINT: Originally written for an American audience, were any changes necessary to make it more accessible here? JOHNSON: None at all. We’ve been very true to the script. We’ve got accents and we haven’t localised it at all. It’s my first attempt at an American accent after 23

bayside & mornington peninsula

years in the business. I’m terrified. I hope it passes. I learned the accent in four weeks, but I’m pretty happy with where it’s sitting now. I found the American very difficult because Americans use their whole mouth. In Australia, because of all the flies, we’re used to speaking with a closed mouth. Dead set that’s the reason. MINT: Other than the live audience, how is stage work different to screen? Do you have a preference? JOHNSON: It’s two different ways of playing the same game. Nearly any actor would say they prefer acting live. Nothing can really match the adrenaline of having no safety net. With TV there’s always that next take. To be an actor you have to love stories and there’s something about doing them in the traditional way that can’t be duplicated. MINT: What it’s like to work in television, could you give an insight into episodic TV? JOHNSON: It’s known as high turnover TV. It’s incredibly expensive so any kind of artistic vision you might have will get drowned out by the commercial reality that time is money. The war between commercialism and art is at its fiercest in television. TV is not as fun as being on stage – no contest. It’s really the bonds of the relationships with your workmates that makes it fun. The work itself is incredibly gruelling. No glamour there. TV is highly technical too and the days are long. MINT: Audiences haven’t seen much of you on stage. What drew you to this project? JOHNSON: It was really the script and the opportunity to be touring again. I love touring a play. I’m at my happiest as an actor when I’m playing performing arts centres in rural and regional areas because that’s where I feel like I belong. Having said that, I’m not complaining about being on the silver screen because it affords me the opportunity to follow my more creative and philanthropic pursuits. I get the best of both worlds. MINT: What do you look for when you consider producing a play? JOHNSON: We look for really good writing - a commercial story that still maintains its artistic integrity. We find so few scripts that manage to find that balance. We do seriously engaging, thought provoking theatre. MINT: How do you think theatre can attract new audiences in an age when other media and new technology are so dominant? JOHNSON: It’s our mission to get younger people to the theatre with shows that are engaging, sharp, funny and most importantly really f**king entertaining. See Sex with Strangers at Shirley Burke Theatre, 64 Parkers Road, Parkdale on Monday 3 August, 8pm. Bookings on 9556 4440 or at kingstonarts.com.au music x arts x events x entertainment

“

It’s our mission to get younger people to the theatre

”

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ARTFULLY ON DISPLAY By Andrea Loiuse Thomas

Catering to every possible taste, DACE

offers a rare opportunity to purchase an original piece of art at a reasonable price while raising funds for a great school. Jenny Croom is this year’s featured fine artist along with Paul Kelly’s craft works and Jennie Alderton’s jewellery. This year’s judge is a former guest artist and well-established local painter/printmaker, Gerry Knight. Derinya’s students always put on a great display in the Ruby Tarts Café open all weekend. Opening night is always spectacular, but this year patrons will be greeted by Ciara, a fire

performer, when doors open Friday, 17 July 17 at 7.30pm. Admission ($25) includes a complimentary drink from Underground Wineries or Mornington Peninsula Brewery, as well as, delectable canapés. The night concludes at 10.30pm. DACE continues Saturday 18 July from 10am to 5pm and Sunday 19 July from 10am to 4pm at Derinya Primary School, 119 Overport Road, Frankston, 9787 3633 or derinyaartexhibition.com

Photograph: Darwin Festival

ATA Allstars

BALLET REVOLUCIÓN Tuesday 7 July, 8pm

Direct from Cuba – the excitement and dynamism of contemporary dance mixed with elegant ballet and powerful street dance, Ballet Revolución is bursting with passion.

Recommended 15+ years.

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HEAD FULL OF LOVE

Wednesday 15 July, 8pm & Thursday 16 July, 1pm

Tickets: Member $82.90, Full $89.90, Conc $84.90, Group 8+ $84.90, Warning: Health themes, references to Family (2F+2C) $260 Duration: 105 minutes, incl. interval suicide, some moderate language.

Queensland Theatre Company WHAT’S ON

Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition is a beautifully presented art show featuring the finest artists and artisans from the Mornington Peninsula and greater Victoria. Celebrating their 40th year, they have had lots of time to fine tune and each year is more polished than the last. Over 100 individual artists will be exhibiting paintings, photography and sculpture. Craft artisans will present thousands of unique pieces of jewellery, blown glass, ceramics and textiles.

Wesley Enoch directs this intricate, warm and wisely told tale by Australian playwright Alana Valentine (Run Rabbit Run, Parramatta Girls). Tickets: Member $43, Full $48, Conc $45, U30 $30, Group 10+ $45 Duration: 90 minutes, no interval

03 9784 1060 thefac.com.au Tickets:

Principal Theatre Partner Frankston Arts Centre is a Business Unit of Frankston City Council

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FRANKSTON THEATRE GROUP HAS GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE By Andrea Louise Thomas A repertory company with a wellspring of talent, Frankston Theatre Group always delivers the goods. This time around Robert Lister is at the helm directing a classic thriller Something to Hide by British playwright Leslie Sands. Everyone seems to have something to hide when romance novelist Howard Holt’s pregnant mistress ends up dead. Of course his wife Karen, who owns the publishing company that publishes his books, could be a suspect if she knew of the affair, but what about Harold? Suspense builds as the possibilities multiply. There is an inquisitive maid snooping about along with the obnoxious nosy neighbour to contend with. Will the clever and persistent Inspector Davies manage to put two and two together with nothing more than circumstantial evidence to go by? There is only one way to find out. Enjoy a riveting tale of romance and murder cabaret style at Mt Eliza Community Centre, Canadian Bay Road, Mt Eliza. BYO drinks and nibbles, though complimentary hot tea and coffee are provided. Something to Hide plays Fridays, 24 & 31 July and Saturdays, 25 July 25 & 1 August at 8pm and Sunday 2 August at 2pm. Bookings: 1300 665 377.

HEAD AND HEARTWARMING By Andrea Louise Thomas Weaving yarns both figurative and literal, Alana Valentine’s Head Full of Love follows two journeying women who meet up unexpectedly at the annual Alice Springs Beanie Festival. On the surface Nessa and Tilly seem to have little in common, but as their friendship grows, they find common threads while crafting their beanie. Nessa is a white woman leaving her Sydney life behind while Tilly, a Pitjantjatjara woman, is on a whole different kind of pilgrimage. Interestingly, the play is bilingual. Some of Tilly’s music x arts x events x entertainment

dialogue is in her traditional language so contemporary audiences get a rare opportunity to hear a native dialect spoken. It explores some contentious issues such as health conditions in remote Indigenous communities providing valuable insights, but handled with sensitivity and humour. In honour of the 19th annual Alice Springs Beanie Festival, Frankston and area locals will have a chance to see some amazing beanies on display at Frankston Library from July 12 to 16 and to attend a Bling Your Beanie

workshop at Cube 37, Monday 13 July from 6–8pm. All participants will go into a draw to win two free tickets to the matinee performance on Thursday 16 July. Head Full of Love plays at Frankston Arts Centre on Wednesday 15 July at 8pm and Thursday 16 July at 1pm. Bookings: 9784 1060 or thefac.com. au. Beanie exhibition takes place at Frankston Library, 60 Playne Street, Frankston. Beanie workshop at Cube 37 (FAC) Frankston. Workshop bookings on: 9784 1896.

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IMPRINTING PASSION By Andrea Louise Thomas Artist Emma Cleine founded Lumiere Art and Co. in 2011 to have the freedom to create original and interesting works of art that also had functional value. Her prints and textiles have proven so popular that her work has been commissioned by film, art and writing festivals and featured in newspapers, catalogues and magazines, as well as, finding a dedicated following with both boutique shops and national retailers. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Monash University) and Graduate Diploma of

Education (Melbourne University), Cleine is well placed to pass on her knowledge and passion through new workshops at her studio overlooking Westernport Bay in Hastings. She teaches wood block printing and press printmaking. In these all day workshops, participants will learn cutting edge techniques and create an original print to take home. To sign up for the Mandala Print Workshop on Saturday, August 15 from 9:30 am to 4 pm, visit her website www.lumiereartandco.com. au or email: hello@lumiereartandco. com.au.

STORM IN A TEACUP AT MPRG By Andrea Louise Thomas Who would have thought a beverage could be a cultural icon? Just as coffee is now a ubiquitous part of modern society, the traditional British cuppa tea has predominated for hundreds of years. Storm in a Teacup at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery looks at tea drinking in Australia. From the British colonials with their civilised afternoon imbibe to the immortalised boiling billy of the pioneers; this exhibition explores the social, cultural and environmental impacts of tea. Depicting the elegance and civilized grace of afternoon tea are works by E. Phillips Fox and Arthur Streeton while the polish comes off in Adam Hill’s politically charged, yet humourous, Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea or Michael Cook’s Object (Table). Thirty-four artists represented in paintings, works on paper, photographs, ceramics, sculpture and installation comprise this thought provoking exhibition that looks into and beyond the humble cup of tea. Running concurrently is Ways to Draw: A Selection from the Permanent Collection by Betty Churcher (edited) which examines the methods and motivations of artists in drawing featuring the works of a wide cross-section of Australian artists. Both exhibitions open Friday 24 July and run until Sunday 27 September at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Mornington. Call 5975 4395 or see mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au

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SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY – DE NOVO Frankston Arts Centre

ILLUMINATING BEAUTY Frankston Arts Centre By using a torch in the darkness the natural beauty of flowers is brought to the fore in artist Bernadette Jordan’s vibrant debut solo exhibition, Out of the Shadows. Casting floral painting in a whole new light, her work is beautiful and evocative. Quite by accident Jordan discovered her unique perspective when the power when out and she had nothing but a torch to paint by. Out of the Shadows focuses on shape, form and colour. Viewing it as a collection

feels a bit like journeying through an exotic garden at night. Meet the artist when motivational speaker/ author, Craig Harper, opens her show Thursday 16 July from 6–8 pm at G3 Artspace, Shirley Burke Theatre, 64 Parkers Road, Parkdale. Exhibition continues until Saturday 15 August on display Wednesday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturdays from 12– 5pm. Preview works at bernadettejordanart. com

YOUTH VOICE IN SILENT FILM By Andrea Louise Thomas Filmmakers aged under 20 are invited to create a modern day equivalent to the mother of all filmmaking - the silent film.

Sydney Dance Company presents a program of three highly entertaining pieces – a cocktail of witty, exhilarating and joyously physical dance that will make you laugh aloud. From an inspired collaboration with internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko and composer Nick Wales comes Emergence, a dance work by Rafael Bonachela, Artistic Director of Sydney Dance Company featuring the alluring costume creations of Australian fashion designer Dion Lee. A breathtaking crossgenre leap, Emergence sees the entire company ensemble take to the stage as a stunning soundscape takes sensual, physical form. Irreverent, humorous and brilliant, Cacti is the critically acclaimed brainchild of Swedish dance prodigy Alexander Ekman. At just 29 years old, Ekman is already in high demand internationally, and this piece, devised for the legendary Nederlands Dans Theater 2, shows exactly why. Cacti is not only a subversive, entertaining commentary on the pretentions of contemporary dance, it is also a brilliantly conceived and bracingly physical piece of choreography. From Australian rising star Larissa McGowan comes Fanatic, a hilarious popculture collision that pits Alien vs Predator in an interstellar dance throwdown

between two titanic sci-fi film franchises. Giddy and virtuosic, wry and recognisable, this is dance for the digital age – kinetic, immediate and exceedingly funny. Showcasing some of Australia’s finest dancers, music by Sarah Blasko and Nick Wales and costumes by Dion Lee, De Novo promises a light-hearted but thrilling evening that’s not to be missed! Cameo Competition Frankston Arts Centre and Sydney Dance Company are excited to announce a competition for enthusiastic males to perform a fun cameo role in their production of De Novo. To win the cameo, all you need to do is create a 30-second video clip with your camera or mobile device performing your favourite line from the Alien or Predator franchises. No dance experience or skill is required. Entrants must be at least 18 years old as the role does require swearing (although minimal). Workshop Whilst in Frankston to perform De Nova, Sydney Dance Company will provide a wonderful opportunity for advanced dance students and dancers to attend a contemporary workshop led by one of their performers. Class numbers are strictly limited to 30 participants only.

Judged by a panel of Australian film industry experts, the winner will receive $1000, a day on a film shoot plus a red carpet screening in Australia and America. Short-listed entrants go into the running for fantastic prizes and have their films screened in the USA. To enter IYSFF, go online, choose a soundtrack from one of seven genres (slapstick, action, horror, romance, mystery, sci-fi or hero) then get cracking on making your own three-minute silent film. Entries to the 2015 International Youth Silent Film Festival close on Tuesday, September 1. Send submission via kingstonarts.com.au music x arts x events x entertainment

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