Warrnambool gig guide July 17th 2014

THURSDAY
Goyen, Franklin, Galbraith, Halliwell,Tankard: Hotel Warrnambool

FRIDAY
Louise Adams, Ciaram
Granger: The Loft, Warrnambool
Jackson Greene: The Last Coach, Warrnambool
Mick Keane: The Stump, Port Fairy
Alby Pool, Bidge Boyd: Commercial Hotel, Koroit
Ben Cross: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool

SATURDAY
Louie Clancey band -- Whalers
The Space Keys, Electric Sun Kings, Odd: The Loft
Dexter, Brenton Hussey: Gallery Nightclub, Warrnambool
Tank Dilemma: The Stump
Sneaky Butchers: Port Campbell Hotel
Louis Helmsley: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Joe Musico: Woolsthorpe Hotel

SUNDAY
Owen Blundell (arvo):City Memorial Bowls Club, Warrnambool
Acoustic Al (arvo): Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Tank Dilemma (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool

TUESDAY
Jason Bull: Cally Hotel,

Gig guide July 3rd 2014

THURSDAY
Jazz: Hotel Warrnambool

FRIDAY
The Lost Fridays, The Mellows: The Loft, Warrnambool
Christo Rook: The Last Coach, Warrnambool
Loose Cannons: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Phil Royle: Cally Hotel, Warrnambool
Gavin Riddel: The Stump, Port Fairy
Press Play, Lucille Croft, Sammy La Marca, One Trick, Max McKay, Corey Ryan, Shorty J, DJ Warwick, D-Mac, Porter,Lachlan Milne, Trent Turner, Josh Brown: Gallery Nightclub, Warrnambool
Louie Clancey Band: Seanchai, Warrnambool
15 Minutes of Fame: St Brigid’s Hall, Crossley
Karis Britton & Kerry Cheeseman, Ben Cross: Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool
Wild Roomers: Kirkstall Hotel
Eddy & The Exciters: Port Fairy Cricket Club

SATURDAY
Lakes & Craters Band (arvo): Port Fairy Consolidated School
Tracy McNeil & The Good Life: The Loft
Wilnko: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Jarrad Kilsby: Port Campbell Hotel
The Doctor: The Stump
Alfa Tides: Whalers Hotel
Nick How: Victoria Hotel, Port Fairy
Plexus (arvo): St John’s Anglican Church, Port Fairy

SUNDAY
Lakes & Craters Band (arvo): Leura Oval function room, Camperdown
Graveyard Train: The Loft
Rusty Bucks (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool

TUESDAY
Nancie Schipper: Cally Hotel, Warrnambool

WEDNESDAY
Gordi: The Loft

Hank Williams tribute 2014

Warrnambool Standard July 3rd 2014

WARRNAMBOOL’S annual Hank Williams tribute night has gained international recognition, with the museum in the country musician’s home town sending a letter of appreciation. Hank Williams Museum director Beth Petty, of Montgomery, Alabama, wrote: “We’re so happy folks like yourself pay tribute to this wonderful man and his music”. The annual concert is a fund-raiser for 3WAY FM and returns on September 18 at City Memorial Bowls Club .

Celebrating with a Crossley ceilidh

Warrnambool Standard June 26th 2014
ST Brigid’s Church in Crossley celebrates the centenary of its first service this weekend and music will fittingly play a part in the festivities. The church and hall have been the scene of many gigs since they were purchased by the local community. One of the regular gigs has been the 15 Minutes Of Fame concerts and a special Irish themed version of the open mic-style show will be held tomorrow night as part of the centenary.
On the bill will be The Rusty O’Bucks, poet Mary Bourke, The Tin Whistles [i.e Wednesday Whistlers], The Beale Family, Roy Carson, poet David O’Brien, and Likely Celts.

A ceilidh — a traditional Gaelic night of music and dance — will also be held on Saturday night following the centenary dinner .

The Likely Celts

 The Wednesday Whistlers

Robert Burns Fest 2014 -- Likely Celts

Scottish Festival entrees -- Warrrnabool Standard June 19th 2014

THE festivities of the Robert
Burns Scottish Festival won’t
be confined to Camperdown
this year. Two curtain-raiser gigs
(or “kilt-raisers”, as they’re
calling them) will be held at
Skipton Mechanics Hall on
June 25 and Port Campbell
Surf Lifesaving Club on June
26 before the event kicks off
properly on June 27.
Both concerts will feature
artists from the festival.
Skipton’s show will star
Danny Spooner, Likely
Celts, Don Grieve & Angela
Preiss, and Peter Daffy &
Luke Plumb, along with piper
Donald Blair.The Port Campbell concert
will feature Spooner, Fiona
Ross Band, Tuniversal, Daffy
& Plumb, and Lex’s Shed.
Both shows start at 8pm.

Zuzu Angel, Ten Thousand, Dead Letter Blues @ Espy - Jordan Lockett

South-west musos at Espy = Warrnambool Standard June 19th 2014
THE south-west will be well represented at The Espy’s Rock N Load festival on Saturday.
The famed St Kilda venue will host 34 bands across four stages and 12 hours. Among them will be Zuzu Angel (which features former Port Fairy drummer Jordan Lockett), Ten Thousand (which features former Warrnambool bassist Luke McKenzie), and Dead Letter Blues (which features former Warrnambool guitarist Justin Salmon). Also on the bill is Tumbleweed, King Of The North, Sun God Replica, Neon Queen, My Echo, and stacks more. Head to oztix. com.au for tickets and a full line-up.

Cherie Amor, Kate Gane, Om & The Pea and Oriel Glennen - Refugee week June 22nd 2014

Refugee Week performance -- Warrnambool Standard Thurs June 19th 2014

A DAY of song and story will be held in Warrnambool on Sunday to mark Refugee Week. The event has been put together by Rural Australians For Refugees’ Warrnambool branch and is sponsored by the Lions Club. Gunditjmara duo Tuurann and south-west singer-songwriters Cherie Amor, Kate Gane, Om & The Pea and Oriel Glennen will perform, as well as the OEMV Choir. The gathering at the Mozart Hall in Warrnambool from 12.30pm will raise money for Scarves For Hope and Friends Of Refugees.

Band Roulette 2014

Band Roulette’s second spin Warrnambool Standard June 19th 2014

LAST year’s Band Roulette fund-raiser gig was one of the most impressive and surprising musical events in Warrnambool. Taking a cross section of local musicians, the show threw them together in unexpected line-ups and put them on the spot to come up with a short set of songs. The results were predominantly outstanding and the whole show raised money for charity, so it’s good news that it’s going to be happening again on November 16 at the Hotel Warrnambool. Peter’s Project, Australian Prostate Cancer Research, Movember and Beyond blue will benefitfrom money raised. The new twist is that there will also be “duo roulette” performances happening on a second stage in between band roulette performances. If you’re a musician and you’d like to take part, contact Russ Goodear on goodidea@ansonic.com.au or 0402 127 077.

Musicians mix it up for Warrnambool men's health fund-raiser

By MATT NEAL
Warrnambool Standard Nov. 18, 2014,

SOME unusual musical combinations came together for a good cause on Sunday, as a large crowd filled the Hotel Warrnambool for the second annual Band Roulette gig.

The event’s main focus was to raise money for Peter’s Project, Australian Prostate Cancer Research, Movember and Beyond Blue, but the pleasant spin-off was seeing a line-up of one-show-only bands. 

Organiser and musician Russ Goodear said more than 40 musicians threw their names in the hat to be put together in random line-ups for a short set of covers.

“This town is full of really good musos, but they’re also people who step up for a good cause,” Goodear said.

“They usually don’t see each other as they’re normally playing at other venues but there’s a real camaraderie because they’re all in the same boat. 

“And the day has a nice kind of edge to it (for the musos) because they’re getting up there and playing stuff you may not have played or even heard before and that requires a certain energy.

“It’s fantastic — it’s a good thing.”

Musicians (from left) Laaland, Michael Schack, Steve Garner and Brianna Reeves perform for the Band Roulette fund-raiser at Hotel Warrnambool. 

Eight bands and a few walk-up performers played throughout the day with judges deeming the line-up of Phil Royle, Christopher Grace, Prof Walters, Keith Prest and Hayden Brodie to be the best of the day.

Goodear said another highlight was seeking Warrnambool blues harmonica player Eddy Boyle fronting a jazz trio featuring Gavin Franklin, Geoff Kilminster and Peter Hocking. 

The money raised from the day was still being tallied but Goodear said he hoped to reach last year’s figure of more than $7000.

Warrnambool gig guide June 19th 2014

THURSDAY
Tankard, Galbraith, Halliwell, Conlan: Hotel Warrnambool
Tom Maxwell: Commercial Hotel, Koroit

FRIDAY
The General live score by John Hudson & Matt Hewson: Terang Civic Hall
Omar Dean, Frank Dixon, The Clique, D-Macon: Casterton Town Hall
Dave Burgess: Last Coach, Warrnambool
Shaun Kirk: The Stump, Port Fairy
Loose Cannons: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Crossfi re Hurricane, Lemonbait, Bonney Ranch: The Loft, Warrnambool

SATURDAY
Kayla Dwyer: The Stump
Big Love: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
David Anderson: Commercial Hotel, Hamilton
Superguns, Drifter, Bonney Ranch: The Loft

SUNDAY
Hamilton Strings (arvo): Hamilton PAC
Acoustic Al (arvo): Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Jason Bull (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool

TUESDAY
Richard Tankard: Cally Hotel, Warrnambool

WEDNESDAY
Danny Spooner, Don Grieve & Angela Preiss, Peter Daffy & LukePlumb, Donald Blair: Skipton Mechanics Hall

COLERAINE musical comedian Adam McClure, aka The Rapping Shearer,

McClure video goes viral -- Warrnambool Standard 5th June 2014
COLERAINE musical comedian Adam McClure, aka The Rapping Shearer, has been uploading his ocker tunes to YouTube for the past four months to moderate success. Most of his tracks attracted a couple of hundred views, with his song The Shearer clocking up 2000 . But his latest tune Hamilton — an ode of sorts to the town of the same name — has gone a bit viral , racking up 6000 views in just three days. Some of McClure’s music is also available on iTunes.

Likely Celts

Likely return for local Celtic trio - Warrnambool Standard 5th June 2014

WARRNAM BOOL’S Likely Celts will return to the scene of their first gig when they play at the National Celtic Festival in Portarlington this weekend. Exactly a year ago, the trio made their debut at the festival, playing a not-ideal timeslot to a small crowd, singer-guitarist Glenn Hudson explained. “But one of the people at that first gig was on the committee for the Australian Celtic Festival in Glen Innes,” he said. Likely Celts were flown up to play at the Glen Innes event in northern NSW in May, which Hudson said goes to show that “every gig is worth it”. “When we go back to Portarlington this weekend we’ve got the timeslots of  9pm on Friday and 7.30pm on Saturday so we’ll be playing to a bigger audience which is great,” he said.

The band has just finished its first year of festivals and already has the Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Beechworth Celtic Festival, and Camperdown’s Robert Burns Festival under its collective belt.

“We did this band for fun and just to do festivals,” Hudson explained.Raised in Dublin, the singer-guitarist moved to Australia 13 years ago and has been a regular at Irish music sessions around the south-west since. It was during such a session at the beloved Warrnambool gathering known as Lex’s Shed that Hudson began teaming with multi-instrumentalist Merran Moir. “We like messing around with the traditional stuff and giving it a bit more swing or playing it a bit more percussive,” he said. “Merran’s well known in the Celtic music community because the type of instruments she plays are not widely played — she’s quite the specialist.” Indeed on the band’s debut self-titled release, which was recorded at Smith Sound in Naringal earlier this year, Moir plays the not-often heard small pipes and border pipes, as well as the accordion and  traditional Celtic whistles. Completing the line-up of Likely Celts is bassist Tim Conlan, whose diverse musical background — he plays in rockabilly, jazz, blues and even punk line-ups locally — furthered Hudson and Moir’s ambitions of “messing around with the traditional stuff”. “Myself and Tim are from contemporary backgrounds,” Hudson explained. “He’s changed the direction slightly just through jamming with him — he’s taking us down different paths that we wouldn’t have done.” Their self-titled album is a fine example of this, twisting little known traditional folk pieces into new shapes and making them sit neatly alongside Hudson’s own originals by employing tricks and ideas more common with jazz, acoustic
pop or even reggae. “There’s a big gap between the very well-done traditional stuff and (band’s like) Claymore and that rocked-up or Celt-punk stuff,” he said. “Our goal is never to be traditional but use traditional flavours and so there’s no limitations. “We just want to enjoy ourselves.” Likely Celts will play at the National Celtic Festival in Portarlington this week- end alongside Barrule from Isle Of Man, Scottish group Feis Rois, The Heartstring Quartet, Shane Howard, and many more. The Warrnambool trio will also be playing in Camperdown and Skipton later this month as part of the Robert Burns Festival. Their self-titled debut album is available to stream or download through likelycelts.bandcamp.com or at Capricorn Records.

Gig guide 5th June 2014

THURSDAY June 5th 2014

Michelle Benjamin & Richard Tankard: Hotel Warrnambool

FRIDAY

Subb Michalski Trio: The Stump, Port Fairy

15 Minutes of Fame: St Brigid’s Hall, Crossley

The Doctor: Kirkstall Hotel

Arockalypse — Kashmere Club, Tank Dilemma, Buddha In A Chocolate Box: The Loft, Warrnambool

Ben Cross: Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool

SATURDAY

Michelle’s Velocity: The Stump

The Bracelets: Victoria Hotel, Port Fairy

Wild Roomers: Mickey Bourke’s Koroit Hotel

Arockalypse - Tom Richardson Project, Aurora Jane, Blackwood Jack: The Loft

Kayla Dwyer: Whalers Hotel

Josh Brown: Gallery Nightclub, Warrnambool

SUNDAY

Mick Keane (arvo): The Stump

Arockalypse (all day): The Loft

Dave Burgess (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool

The Reimers Brothers: Whalers Hotel

DJ Encee: Gallery Nightclub

TUESDAY

Glenn Miller Orchestra: Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool

Chris & friends: Cally Hotel, Warrnambool

Screaming Jets bassist returns to Warrnambool May 2014 -- Lady Bay mentioned in article

Warrnambool Standard of May 29th 2014 published an article headed "Solo scream takes 20 years". It included the following "SCREAMING Jets bassist Paul Woseen will be spinning yarns and playing songs at The Loft on Saturday.

The party-hard reputation of The Screaming Jets still lingers in Warrnambool — they were infamously blamed for leaving a slightly mythologised trail of destruction at the long-gone Lady Bay Hotel many years ago.

Gig guide May 29th 2014

THURSDAY
Jason Bull: The Last Coach, Warrnambool
Trevor & Boyd: The Stump, Port Fairy
Rock Bottom James & Quadrajet: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
King Parrot, Hadal Maw, Spaulding: The Loft,Warrnambool
Nick How: Kirkstall Hotel

FRIDAY
Louie Clancey Band - Seanchai

SATURDAY
Kaboodle: The Stump
Barely Wayne: Victoria Hotel,Port Fairy
Rock Bottom James & Quadrajet: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Paul Woseen: The Loft

SUNDAY
Aleyce Simmonds & Band(arvo): Commercial Hotel, Koroit
Louis Helmsley (arvo): VictoriaH otel, Warrnambool
Louie Clancey Band (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool

TUESDAY
Wilnko: Cally Hotel, Warrnambool

John Anscombe -- 15 minutes of fame Crossley

Music stirs the beating heart of Crossley community

By MARIA WHITMORE Warrnambool Standard Apr. 9th, 2013- 

John Anscobe strums a tune at 15 Minutes of Fame.
.
ON Friday evening I went to St Brigid’s Hall, Crossley, for 15 Minutes of Fame — or The Crossley Craic, as some like to call it.
As a former Warrnambool resident, I experienced the night from the perspective of someone without their own “tribe” close at hand anymore, but who now lives a more solitary existence alongside millions of other time-starved, traffic-overloaded Melburnians shuttling between freeways, arterial roads and side streets for way too many hours a day.
I arrived to a noisy, packed hall with perhaps 120 people seated around trestle tables that groaned under the weight of the food and wine they’d brought to share.
A small whiteboard at the side of the stage announced the names of the eight acts that would each perform for their 15 minutes — give or take a few.
On a night like this no one — performers nor audience — has any idea what they’re in for. The acts are, for the most part, an unknown quantity.
The idea behind nights like these, which organiser Carol MacDonald borrowed from an event in Stokers Siding near Byron Bay, is to throw open an invitation to perform to everyone — even those with just a skerrick of talent, so the marketing spiel goes.
And on nights like these you end up getting so much more than just a lucky dip of hopefuls. You get to experience the inside of the beating heart of a warm and welcoming community. It’s like one huge, all-enveloping hug.
Act one, The Sarah Drylie Band, was a first-time three-piece band. This was their first performance in front of an audience.
Sure, Sarah’s voice was rusty in parts, but there was no denying the purity that rang out like a bell once her nerves settled.
The audience whooped and hollered their appreciation; her mother, who had been nursing Sarah’s daughter on her lap during the performance, told us she hadn’t heard Sarah sing since the age of five.
The joy she felt about her daughter’s reconnection with singing was palpable, and last Friday at Crossley, we all shared in this mother’s pride.
The next act, Sheree Melva Duncan and Friends, was talked up enthusiastically by MC Russ Goodear, so I was a bit anxious for Sherree.
My anxiety dissipated as soon as she took the mic. What is that quality that demands you keep your attention transfixed?
As soon as she began to sing I knew she was the real deal. She killed me softly with her song about loss, she touched my soul with her laconic blues number and she seduced me gently with her irreverent take on everlasting love.
A star was in our midst.
Nigel Swifte brought us back to earth with his high-voltage rendition of AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top. There he stood, a blond, bordering-on-nerdy, 10-year-old kid with glasses and a fake tattoo, thrashing his over-sized guitar at lightning-fast speed.
Young Nigel was the personification of the reckless exuberance of youth.
And when I thought all my emotions had been spent, a tall, skinny, 60-something Roy Carson strolled on to the stage. I listened with scepticism as he introduced himself with a rich, mellow voice that had a distinct hint of Irish brogue.
What is it about the Irish that turns us into sentimental fools when they sing? Don’t they know that songs like Eric Bogle’s It’s as if he knows (about Diggers shooting their lighthorses before coming home) make us weep like babies?
We all fell a bit in love with Roy Carson at Crossley last Friday night.
See your ad here
Had I had too much to drink? No.
Did they catch me at a particularly vulnerable time? Maybe.
All the door takings go straight into paying off St Brigid’s mortgage, so the feel-good factor to airy-fairy things like my emotions. It’s a bricks-and-mortar kinda’ feel-good too.

Cherie Amor

Culture night at the Bay Warrnambool Standard 6/08/1998 -
A local arts group turned a disused nightclub into an impressive one-night gallery and artist performance venue last night. To coincide with youth radio network Triple J's unearthed program to find local talent in Warrnambool this week, the Kuureen Community Arts and Environment Group showed off the city's cultural side in the Lady Bay Hotel's Bayview room. Title "What do you call a man with a shovel on his head?", the night featured local poets, bands and solo musicians including debut gigs for unearthed runner-up Cherie Amor and band the Funstoppers - a combination of former members of the defunct local groups Hoedown Five and Project Artichoke. Coordinator Georgia Henderson said at least 20 etchings, drawings,  paintings, sculpture and screen prints were displayed for sale by current and former Deakin University and South West Institute of TAFE students and uneducated artists. The night was only a month in the planning and Ms. Henderson and fellow coordinator Kate Gane said it had become a reality with the help of many people. "It's getting the community involved in art" Ms. Henderson said. Kuureen, a word from the Peek Whurong clan language, translated as mist - represented cohesion, she said.

Soak up this gig

Warrnambool Standard 22nd April 1999 -
By KATIE HYDER
WARRNAMBOOL music fans are in for a treat tonight with Pre-Shrunk bass player and singer Davage promising an entertaining, captivating and sonically challenging performance at The Gallery Club. Billed by a Melbourne daily newspaper as the best band in town, these guys intend to put on not just a musical performance, but a show, and if that's not enough to get your interest Davage has promised to show his nipples — if you ask nicely. “We are a band with a difference and at the same time we strive to give a good performance — we strive to give people their money's worth,” he said. With sales of their latest
single Triple A-Side going well around the country, these guys must be doing something right, but Davage attributes part of this success to the band's philosophy of going where the fans are. This philosophy has taken them not only to the obvious places like Sydney and Adelaide, but to Tasmania and smaller regional centres. With this much touring under their collective belt, the trio was not at all phased by the distance. “A drive to Warrnambool for us is like a drive to the Seven 11 for some milk,” he said. With two bass players and a drummer, this three-piece offer a funk/dance/fusion sound instantly recognisable in Sound Pimp, one of the three singles released on Triple A-Side, which has received considerable air play on Triple J. “All three of us have got wide and varying influences and we all write equally and try to incorporate those influences,” Davage said of fellow band members Dave and Justin. Pre-Shrunk will be supported by The Monaros and Cherie Amor.

Brought down to earth - Warrnambool Standard 5/08/1998 - When she got up yesterday morning, Warrnambool musician Cherie Amor was looking forward to her first gig in town, at the Lady Bay Hotel last night. One phone call later, Cherie found herself instead in her first Warrnambool performance at the ABC Radio studios last night, with and audience of one presenter, one producer, one interested onlooker and tens of thousands of listeners around Australia. The call had been from JJJ, the ABC's youth radio network, to tell her she had been chosen as a finalist in its "Unearthed" quest for undiscovered local talent. The 23 year old Warrnambool musician played her own composition Gloomy Cloud, a song about a relationship breaking up

Andy Alberts

Region's best in concert
Warrnambool Standard 11th March 1999 -
SOME of the south-west's musical treasures will take the stage at this weekend's Apollo Bay Music Festival. The festival will pay tribute to the depth of songwriting talent to emerge from the region with a special concert featuring singer-songwriters Shane Howard, Andy Alberts, Dave Steel and Archie Roach. Billed as Songwriters of the Southwest Coast and Plains, the Saturday afternoon concert is just one highlight of the festival which will also include performances by Mark Seymour (ex-Hunters and Collectors) and The Gadflys. The weekend will be nothing if not diverse, taking in every musical style from reggae and gospel to classical, folk, jazz and alternative rock. Also on the bill is electric string quartet FourPlay, which went down a storm at the Port Fairy Folk Festival earlier this month. The festival kicks off tomorrow night with a fire ceremony — a combination of performance and procession culminating in a fire sculpture on the beach — and continues throughout the weekend. For information call 5237 6761.

Island ritual moves singer
by Katie Hyder. Warrnambool Standard 29th April 1999 -
SINGER and songwriter Andy Alberts of Warrnambool doesn't see himself as a political sort of person but a visit to Flinders Island had provided a different slant. After performing there as part of a ceremony to hand back a site to the local Koorie people, Alberts said sometimes it's necessary to take on important issues. “I've never been one to be in political things or be a political person but some things must be said,” he explained. Alberts performed his award-winning song Gunditjmara Land, which fans may have heard at the Tarerer concert to mark the handing over of the south-west's Sorry Book. The song won an award in Warrnambool's Spirit of the Sea music festival earlier this year. “To go over there and sing Gunditjmara Land, it meant a lot to me,” he said of the song which he claimed also related to the experience of Flinders Island Aborigines. “We've had the problems they had; the same atrocities that went on there went on here.” Along with other Warrnambool musicians Chris Van Bakel, Lyn Eales, Richard Tankard and Paul Smith, Alberts flew over to the island on Saturday, performed that night and returned home on Sunday. Performing to a good-sized audience in a hall in Lady Baron, a town on the south side of the island, Alberts said he received a positive response to songs from the album Gunditjmara Land. “I was really happy because they just started dancing to tracks like Wisdom Man and people came up and said ‘great song!',” he recalled.

Land song on new CD

Warrnambool Standard 19th Aug.1999 -
WA R R N A M B O O L -BA S E D s i n g e r -songwriter Andy Alberts is again lending his great musical talents to the cause of reconciliation. Alberts' award-winning song Gunditjmara Land has been chosen for inclusion on a CD to raise awareness of the reconciliation process. South-west talent will feature strongly on the album,with Goanna and Archie Roach also contributing tracks.They will join a stellarline-up of Australian talent on the CD, including Yothu Yindi, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Kev Carmody, Wendy Matthews and Tiddas. The CD is a joint project of Catholic Mission and Antar (Australian Native Title and Reconciliation) aimed at promoting a constructive dialogue on the issue of reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-indigenous Australia.Alberts said he had always strongly believed in the powerof song in bringing people together.“It's a great way of building bridges, I have noticed that through playing music over the years. A lot can be achieved with song, it's unbelievable.” He said reconciliation was an issue that would not go away, and acknowledging the past was an important part of the process. “Personally, reconciliation for me is more than a handshake — it goes deeper.” But Alberts was hopeful about the future of reconciliation. “We can move forward, we can walk together,” he said. He will travel to Sydney next month for the launch of the CD, to perform alongside other contributing artists at The Metro. South-west audiences may have a chance to catch Alberts live as a guest performer with former Goanna frontman Shane Howard at the Killarney Hotel tomorrow night. He will also appear at the Port Campbell Blues Festival later this month. In the meantime, Alberts is in the process of recording songs for a new album, due for release in mid-2000.

Country concert
Warrnambool Standard 11th Nov. 1999
INSPIRED by the recent 3WAY-FM Hank Williams tribute night, Warrnambool-based singer-songwriter Andy Alberts is planning a country performance of his own. Alberts will be joined by some special guests, including Lyn Eales and Pete Bird, for an evening of country music, tomorrow night at the Royal Hotel from 9pm. He said despite a resurgence in the popularity of country music there wasn't much of it being heard live in the Warrnambool region. “There's not a venue around for that (country) music — it's on the comeback I guess.” Alberts said he would be playing a “bit of everything” from Slim Dusty to Troy Cassar-Daly and warned people to bring their dancing boots for some dance floor action.

Radio station celebrates 10 years of making airwaves Warrnambool Standard 11th Oct.  2000 -
Presenter Brendan Dowd was joined by Oriel Glennon [sic], Tommy Carty and Andy Alberts who helped to promote Oriel's new CD Two Pink Turtles during yesterday's 3WAY-FM 10th anniversary celebrations. The Warrnambool community FM station members are broadcasting their programs live from Gateway Plaza this week.

Links reforged Warrnambool Standard 2nd Nov. 2000 -
SOME of the south-west music heavyweights will gather to perform alongside Australian rock icons Paul Hester and Dave Steel on Wednesday night. Andy Alberts and the Walkabouts, which features Robbie Bundle, Richard Tankard, Lyn Eales, John Emry, Brendan Dowd and Chris Van Bakel, will join Hester (Crowded House) and Steel (Weddings Parties Anything) downstairs at Images Restaurant. Bundle and Alberts first linked with the latter two as part of Songlines, a mentor program that links Aboriginal musicians and some of Australia's well-known artists. Alberts, who is preparing to record an album soon, said the mentor program which paired him with Hester had helped to expand his musical horizons. "It's been good because we're in contact with key people in the music industry, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to show people what we've done and put on a gig," he said. Robbie Bundle said being matched with Dave Steel as part of the program helped him to give something back to the community. "We've all got a wealth of experience but this gives us another level and it's good because it sets us up as role models for younger people who may be considering taking up a career in music," he said. Alberts said that, in addition to the big line-up for Wednesday night's gig, there would be a special "mystery guest" appearance from a prominent musician. He was remaining tight-lipped about it. "We won't be giving away too much but it will be a great night" he said with a laugh. Andy Alberts and The Wanderers will be playing downstairs at Images Restaurant from 9pm.

EP is close to home Warrnambool Standard 22 Feb. 2001 -
POPULAR Aboriginal artist Andy Alberts and his band The Walkabouts will officially launch their newest EP Close to Home at Saturday's Tarerer Festival. Two of the tracks were recorded at former Crowded House drummer Paul Hester's Elwood studio; the remaining four tracks were recorded at Warrnambool's Yelp Studio. Close to Home is Alberts' second recording following the success of his 1998 release Gunditjmara Land, which won the Australian Roots Music Awards album of the year and song of the year. The EP also showcases the talents of a number of musicians including Lyn Eales, Chris Van Bakel, Rob Bundle, John Emry, Richard Tankard, Brendan Dowd, Mark and Anthony Alberts, Shane Howard and Paul Hester. Close to Home will be officially released at the Tarerer Festival at Killarney Recreation Reserve on Saturday.

Sizzling way to start off weekBy JEN CRADDOCK Warrnambool Standard 24 May 2001 -
GUNDITJMARA song-writer Andy Alberts will be singing and strumming with his band The Walkabouts while a bar-becue sizzles at the Hotel Warrnambool this Sunday. Between 3pm and 6pm, Alberts will entertain his home crowd with songs from his second album, Close to Home, in a gig to mark the start of Reconciliation Week. Former Crowded House drummer Paul Hester, who produced the songs Jabiluka and Warran Pookar on the six-track EP, is one of several guest musicians joining in at the event. Alberts, a familiar face at local music events like the Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Tarerer Festival, said he was looking forward to kicking off his two-week tour with friends. "This'll be a good start," he said. "It's really great fun to play with a full band. A lot of the rockier songs everyone dances along to. "Next week, Alberts plays the Wool Shed in Geelong then heads to Melbourne to do two shows as part of the Songlines festival. He said he had been taking a "more serious approach" to his singing in the last few years.His protest song Jabiluka had just been included on a Greens CD.

Fame catches up with unwary Andy
Warrnambool Standard 16th August 2001- Report: REBECCA TROTT.
INDIGENOUS musician Andy Alberts has become the first person inducted into the Warrnambool Associated Music Industry's Hall of Fame. The talented singer-songwriter who has played at many festivals throughout Australia, was awarded Warrnambool's Musical Ambassador in the second WAMI awards night. Held earlier this week, the awards are run by South West Institute of TAFE music industry skills students to recognise the role many people play in Warrnambool's vibrant music scene. Alberts, who has played many festivals across the country, recorded tracks for CDs and played with some of the country's finest musicians, said yesterday he was thrilled with his award. "I knew something was going on but I couldn't put my finger on it until it actually happened," he said. Alberts said he was excited about the win, which makes him the first musican to be inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame. "Now that I've had some time for it to sink in, it's a real honor," he said. Alberts said to be named as an ambassador for local music "put a lump in the throat". "We're lucky here, all the musicians are close, it's really good," he said. TAFE music industry skills course coordinator Lyn Eales said Alberts was a "stand-out choice" for the award. "He's done a lot of work within his community and within the wider community," she said. Ms Eales said Alberts had recently had one of his songs listed on the Australian Greens double compilation CD, alongside top musicians such as Paul Kelly and Vince Jones, which reflected his talents as a performer. Ms Eales said the second awards night had been a success. "The idea of the awards is so people who are not normally acknowledged within the community are acknowledged on the night," she said. Ms Eales congratulated the music industry skills course students who she said had put in a lot of work into the night. They provided music, presented the awards, made the award statues and launched their CD.

Muso's help Alby's reconciliation ride Warrnambool Standard 15th August 2002 -
A talented  line-up of musicians is pulling together to help veteran cyclist Alby Clarke in his bid to undertake a reconciliation ride from Perth to Warrnambool. A fund-raising concert has been organised for this Saturday night at the Warrnambool showgrounds' Wannon Rooms. From 6pm, there will be raffles, music, auctions and entertainment — to help Clarke on his inspirational journey. Local and nationally-acclaimed musicians have signed on for the event, with concert organiser Andy Alberts saying he had received so many offers from performers wishing to play at the event he had been forced to turn down many. Former Goanna frontman Shane Howard and ex-Warumpi Band singer-songwriter Neil Murray are just two of the big names on the all-star line-up. Other musicians to take the stage include Andy Alberts and the Walkabouts, Rob Bundle, Lee Morgan, Marcia Howard, Oriel Glennen, The Stray Blacks with Tony Lovett, and Pat and Brett Clarke. Organisers are hoping to attract up to 600 people, with all proceeds helping the 67-year-old cyclist in his 3300-kilometre mission across the country. One of the items up for auction on the night will be a poster signed by all artists who perform. Doors open at 6pm, with tickets available at Warrnambool's performing arts centre.

Channel into music talent
Warrnambool Standard 26th Nov. 2004 -
A Melbourne television series has come to the south-west to point its spotlight on local musicians Andy Alberts, Robbie Bundle and Shane Howard.The trio, who perform together as The Buddas, will be filmed for Songlines In The City, a show that focuses on indigenous musicians. Grant Hansen, the program's executive producer and chief executive officer of Songlines Aboriginal Music Corporation, said the episode looking at Alberts, Bundle and Howard would screen in April on Channel 31."The aim of the show is to promote indigenous acts to a larger audience and highlight these artists," Hansen said. He said the film crew would spend about three days in the region looking at the music and relationship of the three men. It was the first time the makers of Songlines In The City had ventured out of Melbourne to see the musicians on their home turf. Alberts said it was his third time on the program, which had provided him with great spin-offs in the past. Alberts, who worked with former Crowded House drummer Paul Hester in the mentor program, said that since taking part in the project he had been asked back as a mentor this year. Hansen said the crew would also shoot three film clips, one for Alberts, one for Bundle and one for The Buddas, during its stay in the south-west.

Alberts on walkabout to Tamworth festival Warrnambool Standard 13th Jan. 2005 -
FOR country artists the Tamworth Country Music Festival is the biggest gig on the calendar. While Andy Alberts and his band The Walkabouts aren't solely a country act, they know an invitation to play Tamworth is too good an opportunity to pass up. “I was going to go up there solo but when the band got wind of it they wanted to come,” Alberts laughed. The singer-songwriter said it was a costly exercise taking himself and The Walkabouts up to Tamworth for two shows but some local generosity had helped ease the strain. Alberts said a fund-raising gig at the Criterion Hotel had raised $1200 and some of the local Aboriginal co-ops had pitched in. “A lot of people believe in what I'm doing,” the Gunditjmara man said. “I hope to put Warrnambool and my mob on the map.” Alberts said the shows at the Oasis Hotel and Bicentennial Park would allow the band to showcase the more-countrified songs in their set list. It was those songs that initially caught the attention of one of the Tamworth festival organisers who saw The Walkabouts at a gig in Melbourne last year. Tamworth continues a busy run for Alberts and his band which began with the Warrnambool Tsunami Appeal Concert at Lake Pertobe on Sunday. The band will head to Melbourne to perform in the Share The Spirit Music Festival at Treasury Gardens on January 26 along with Ross Wilson, Paul Hester, Richard Frankland and Frankie J. Holden. The Walkabouts will return to the state capital on February 5 on the invitation of the Melbourne City Council to perform as part of the Summer In The Park gig series at Fitzroy Gardens. A few local gigs and plans to complete the album he started at Peter Bird's Yelp Studios are also on the books, Alberts said.

Alberts' Australia Day
Warrnambool Standard 20th Jan. 2005 -
FRESH from its Tamworth success, where the band performed two highly praised showcase sets, Andy Alberts and The Walkabouts will return to Victoria to take part in a special Australia Day concert in Melbourne. The Share The Spirit Music Festival 2005 will be held in the Treasury Gardens from 11am. Andy Alberts and The Walkabouts will be joined by Vic Simms, Frankie J. Holden and Wilbur Wilde, Nick Barker, Bob Wilson, Richard Frankland, Ross Wilson, Deniece Hudson, Paul Hester, Peter Rotumah, Johnny Mac and Maricki.

Albert's Hester homage
Warrnambool Standard 7th Apr. 2005 -
Andy Alberts and the Walkabouts will pay tribute to their late mate Paul Hester when they perform at the Warrnambool Hotel on Sunday. Alberts worked with Hester on the Warrnambool singer-songwriter's debut album. Alberts said he and the band would dedicate much of the set to the drummer by playing a lot of Crowded House numbers. Hester died last month in Melbourne.

Black and proud
Warrnambool Standard 11th Aug. 2005 -
THE south-west will get its first look at new Warrnambool Koori band The Weelarns on Saturday when it performs at the Gunditjmara Co-op. The band, whose name means “black cockatoo” in the local Gunditjmara dialect, has developed over the past three months through an indigenous music project run out of Community Connections in Warrnambool. Facilitator Andy Alberts said the VicHealth-sponsored Karweeyn Music Project was about building self-confidence in young Kooris. Alberts said Karweeyn was a Koori word for “dancing” and The Weelarns had begun writing songs with the aim of working in some indigenous words into the lyrics. The band comprises vocalists Annette Austin, Rebecca Harold, Sharon Alberts and Dominique De Bono, with backing by Brady Dalton (bass), Nathan Douglas (drums) and Justin Alberts (drums). The project, which began about three months ago, will continue until the end of the year thanks to support from the Gunditjmara Co-op. Alberts said Saturday's performance at the co-op from 1pm would be The Weelarns' first chance to play live but he hoped more gigs will come for the group at the end of the project. “They're surprising themselves and this will be a good little test for them,” he said. “I'd love to see them go out and do gigs.” Alberts said there were also plans to record later in the year.

Buskers are back
Warrnambool Standard 30th March 2006 -
 A TRIUMPHANT return to its roots is the aim of this Saturday's Mortlake Buskers Festival. After strong beginnings as a street festival in the early 1990s, venue changes and bad luck with the weather saw the event dwindle in popularity. The festival returns to its first home on Dunlop Street on Saturday in a move expected to deliver more good positions for non-competing buskers. There will also be a great collection of headline acts on stage including the Victoria Police Showband, the south-west's own Koori-roots group Andy Alberts And The Walkabouts, blues guitarist Luke Watt and country act Louise Clancey Band. But all eyes will be on the Australian Busking Championship, with about $10,000 in prizes and cash up for grabs. Categories include individual male, duo/trio, group junior, fully amplified group, individual female, individual junior, street theatre and acoustic group. More than 80 buskers are expected to compete, plus there will be stalls, an alfresco wine bar, street performers and children's entertainers.

Walkabouts bound for Hamilton
Warrnambool Standard October 5, 2006  -
Country roots combo Andy Alberts and the Walkabouts will make their Hamilton debut at the George Hotel on Saturday night. It will be the group's first south west outing for some time but the band has been added to the Portland Bay Festival next month.

New from Andy Alberts
Warrnambool Standard August 2nd 2007 -
 GUNDITJMARA man Andy Alberts launches his new album Life And Land at the Northcote Social Club on Saturday night before returning to Warrnambool for a local launch at the Beach House on August 10. Learn more about the man himself and his long-awaited new record in tomorrow's W magazine

Home-grown talent for folkie
By Matt Neal. Warrnambool Standard 06 March 2008 -
ANOTHER huge Folkie awaits in Port Fairy this weekend. There's more than 20 international acts plus the Aussie headliners, ranging from Weddings Parties Anything to Kasey Chambers and Fourplay String Quartet. But let's not forget about the locals. Folk-rockers The Ploughboys and Celt-punks The Go Set have south-west connections but there's four bona fide bands of locals to look out for.

 Andy Alberts & The Walkabouts
 A REGULAR fixture at the Folkie, this Gunditjmara singer-songwriter and his talented backing band have been kept busy since the release last year of Alberts' album Life And Land. Recorded at Yelp Studios in Warrnambool, the album encompasses country, blues and rock and has been garnering airplay and good reviews across the country.

Hog Stompin' Zydegators
THE new-look line-up for the long-running Zydegators sees the return of guitarist Mick Murphy (Hullabaloos Band, Wahyu, It's Your Thing) and the arrival of singer Kate Gane (Tukan Sam, Kate Gane&The Regulators). With a zydeco-blues sound that could have come straight out of the Louisiana swamps, HSZ have been a popular act at the Folkie in recent years.

The Chosen Few
PART folk, part acoustic rock, part pop and all groove, The Chosen Few have been regular performers at The Loft and Hotel Warrnambool, as well as impressing the 1000-strong crowd at last month's Wunta Fiesta. Featuring something of an all-star line-up of Warrnambool musicians, The Chosen Few released a self-produced EP The Seed to a warm reception recently.

Tom Richardson Project
THIS rootsy trio could be Warrnambool's answer to the John Butler Trio. Richardson released his debut EP Follow Me in late 2006 and has been touring the nation ever since. Armed with a drummer and bassist to bring his bluesy grooves to life, Richardson is performing four shows over the weekend.

Alberts gets call
Warrnambool Standard Dec. 3rd, 2009 -
ANDY Alberts will make a return to the region this weekend, reteaming with his band The Walkabouts for the first time in about a year. The indigenous singer-songwriter is now based in Gippsland, where he's been working with troubled Aboriginal men as part of a justice program. “It's about giving them a bit of hope and assisting them,” Alberts said, adding that it was fulfilling work. “But I've been missing home ... I'm getting the calling.” Andy Alberts & The Walkabouts will reunite on Sun day afternoon to perform at the Hotel Warrnambool and while its his first hit-out with the band since moving to Gippsland at the start of the year, Alberts hasn't been quiet. “I've missed it but it was good to take a break and have a real job for a change,” Alberts joked. “I've done a couple of shows down here. I've teamed up with another muso in Yarram and we did a NAIDOC gig at Lake Tyers. “And I've been writing a lot of acoustic stuff. I've heard a lot of nice, heartfelt stories and I've been putting pen to paper. “I'm thinking about doing another recording and it'll probably be an acoustic-type record, maybe with fiddle and mandolin.” But the prospect of getting the band back together this weekend has got Alberts excited. “You can't beat it — I can't wait, especially the way (guitarist) Lee Morgan is playing at the moment.” Morgan and Alberts will be joined by Tim Conlan (bass), Jon Emry (drums), Richard Tankard (keys) and Lyn Eales (vocals), plus there could be a couple of surprises, Alberts said. He said the reason for the gig was a bit of a Christmas catch-up and he added that he might wheel out a few new songs during the show.

Welcome back gig for Andy Alberts
Warrnambool Standard June 3rd , 2010 -
SONGWRITER Andy Alberts will celebrate his return to the south-west with his fi rst gig in six months. Alberts moved back to the region from Gippsland for family reasons but is keen to pick up where he left off musically and will put his Walkabouts back together for a gig at the Victoria Hotel in Warrnambool tomorrow night. The lineup is expected to feature Lee Morgan (guitar), Richard Tankard (keys), Jon Emry (drums), Lyn Eales (vocals) and Tim Conlan (bass). Alberts & The Walkabouts last performed in December at the Hotel Warrnambool

Look who's back in town
Warrnambool Standard Nov. 3rd, 2011 -
WARRNAMBOOL singer-songwriter Andy Alberts is back in town and preparing for his first gig in a long time. Alberts is getting his backing band The Walkabouts together again for a series of shows over the next few months, starting with an afternoon session at the Hotel Warrnambool on Sunday from 3pm. The Walkabouts will comprise Jonny Emry on drums, Richard Tankard on keyboards, Tim Conlan on bass, Lyn Eales on vocals and Lee Morgan on lead guitar. The Hotel Warrnambool gig will be followed by a performance at the Heywood Hotel on November 12 and a show in Horsham in December. Andy Alberts & The Walkabouts will also play New Year’s Day at the Warrnambool Hotel and are expected to line up at the Lake Bolac Eel Festival next March. The group released their third and most recent album back in 2007.

Musicians get behind Blake
Warrnambool Standard August 2nd, 2012 -
Young Blake Gibson will be getting a helping hand from two musical fund-raisers this weekend. The 20-month-old Warrnambool boy suffers from neuroblastoma — a form of cancer that targets children. Money will be raised tomorrow evening by a metal night at The Loft in Warrnambool and on Sunday arvo by an indigenousthemed concert at the Whalers Hotel. Organiser Chris Saunders, a longtime friend of Blake's dad Aaron, has pulled together two impressive line-ups for the night. Saunders, a former Warrnambool man, will bring his recently signed Melbourne-based metal band Moth to The Loft to join Portland-connected group Xenos, Warrnambool stalwarts POD and the sadly soon-to-be-defunct Warrnambool group Deliverance We Prey. Doors open 8pm. On Sunday afternoon, Brett Clarke, Andy Alberts & The Walkabouts and The Lee Morgan Band will perform from 2pm. Saunders said raffles would be held throughout the gigs and donation tins would be doing the rounds, with all money raised going straight to the Gibson family to help with their medical expenses. The organiser said local businesses had contributed items to be raffled as well as musical equipment to be used at the gigs.

Andy Alberts photographed for the Warrnambool Standard in 1986

Nevada recording photos

Red Eagle

 Red Eagle - A warrnambool rock/blues trio formed in 2008 comprising singer/guitarist Joe Gardner, his brother Jorge (drums) and Brady Jones (bass). They released their first self titled album in 2014 and launched it at the Cherry Bar in Melbourne. The recording process took a year and the Warrnambool Standard review (May 15th 2014) noted it resulted in "some killer guitar solos (notably in the outro to Flame).  In Sept 2015 Silver Ball Records  released a split 7" Vinyl, limited to 150 copies featuring new tracks from Red Eagle and Crossfire Hurricane. The Warrnambool Standard's 2015 Offbeat awards accorded them no. 3 in the "best song" category. The band appeared at Arockalypse 2016 at The Loft.


Warrnambool Standard May 15th 2014 - Debut album displays 6 years of evolution - AFTER six years, two “official” EPs (and a few “unofficial” ones), rock trio Red Eagle have finally gotten around to making their debut album. Like most first albums, the self-titled record is an overview of everything that has come before for the band. As singer/guitarist Joe Gardner explains, opening track Devil’s Hand points to the band’s pre-history when it was just Joe and his brother (and drummer) Jorge “playing the blues at home”, while track two (On My Mind) is one of the first songs the band wrote together when bassist Brady Jones joined the line-up six years ago.Elsewhere on the album, the growth and evolution of their sound over time is evident — Heaven’s disco chorus or the epic central refrain of Flame show increasing pop smarts compared to the “old blues hymns” that inspired Devil’s Hand or live favourite Down To The River.But throughout the 11 tracks is a consistent blend of a raw live vibe (thanks to tracks being recorded live in the studio) and clever production flourishes (courtesy of Gardner, who produced and mixed the band in his home studio).“I’ve always been a big believer in just going with what happens naturally — I love happy mistakes,” he said of the recording approach.“When you get stuff that’s over-recorded, and there’s too much perfection, it sounds fake. We might do five takes at the most and pick the one that feels right.” For a song like Down To The River, that was take #1, but other songs proved more difficult. “I think it was Dreamer’s Lane, a song we get right (live) all the time, and we couldn’t get it right that day so we gave up,” Gardner explained. “We came back the next day and got it first go.” The recording process stretched out over a year, with the band releasing a taster of three songs early in the piece, but Gardner said those early songs illustrated what was working and what wasn’t. “Because it took a year ...we learnt a whole lot about mixing and recording (over that time). We remixed things, stripped things down ... one song got re-recorded. “When we first recorded, every song had a big group (singing) chorus and when we came back to it, we thought,let’s get rid of that and strip them all back. It felt a bit corny and cheap.” Perhaps the hardest part in the process was the lyrics,Gardner conceded. “Most of the songs didn’t have lyrics, they were just a melody,” he said of the band’s songwriting approach. “If there’s a decent hook it carries it on and then I (try to write) the lyrics to fit over them ... but I wouldn’t look into them too deep if I was you.” Gardner jokes that most of the words are “clichéd ... rock’n’roll love blues stories” that go “something something baby darling”. One track that doesn’t follow his flippant description is Running, which came about when Gardner found his policy of writing the lyrics last had created a backlog, requiring bass player Brady Jones to step up and help out. “I had to write four lots of song lyrics because it had been a big day of recording and I had no lyrics for anything,” Gardner explained. “I couldn’t write any more.So I said to Brady, ‘here, write some words’. “He gave me two pages of some story and I picked and chose which bits fit with the melody. It worked really well. “I don’t think he’d written lyrics before and was a bit put out by it, but it was good.” Continuing the multi-talented theme are the contributions of Gardner’s brother Jorge, who stepped out from behind the kit to add harmonica, some killer guitar solos (notably in the outro to Flame), some slide guitar, plenty of backing vocals, and even some feedback sections. Red Eagle will launch their self-titled debut in July at Cherry Bar with Blackwood Jack, Kashmere Club, Cotangent and The Fire Alive, but in the meantime you can head to redeagleband.com to stream the album or purchase a digital or physical copy.

Gig guide Warrnambool 15 May 2014

THursday 15th May 2014
The Bracelets: The Loft,Warrnambool

FRIDAY
Mick Keane: The Stump, Port Fairy
Jason Bull: Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool
The 78s: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool

SATURDAY
Dave Burgess: The Stump
Jason Bull: Whalers Hotel
Aniar (morning): Liebig Lane, Warrnambool
The Bracelets: Victoria Hotel,Warrnambool
Dark Tempo: The Loft

SUNDAY
Big Love (arvo): Victoria Hotel,Warrnambool
Ian Boyd (arvo): City Memorial Bowls Club, Warrnambool
The Chosen Few (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool

Mothers Day 2014 -- Rusty Bucks

The Alamo

The Alamo fires opening shot with EP - Warrnambool Standard Aug 1st 2013

Warrnambool band The Alamo — Cobey Fletcher (left), Derrick Price, Tristan Piper and Luke Burns — will release theirdebut EP Boozehound this weekend at The Loft. 

IF the cowboys of the wild west had access to electric guitars and punk music, they might create something that sounds like Warrnambool band The Alamo.  The four-piece is set to launch its Boozehound EP tomorrow night at The Loft in Warrnambool with support from ex-locals Kashmere Club, south-west band The Alfa Tides and Castlemaine’s Louise Adams. The EP is The Alamo’s debut release and reflects the group’s solidifying sound, which initially began as a vehicle for frontman Cobey Fletcher’s songwriting but grew into a beast of its own. “There’s been a big difference,” Fletcher said of the band’s changing sound. “I’ve gone from acoustic guitar to electric so it’s a bit rockier and I guess it’s lost a bit of folk. “But we’ve tried to keep a country thing in there. We call our sound ‘alt-country’, although ‘cowboy rock’ is what (guitarist) Luke Burns calls it.” He said the input of drummer Tristan Piper and bassist Derrick Price was also vital to shaping The Alamo’s sound as they brought their “punk influences” to it. It’s not only the band’s sound that has changed as time has gone by — Fletcher said his approach to songwriting had altered too. “It’s pretty much all fictional now,” he explained. “All my songs were about my experiences, but now they’re fictional songs. “A lot of (the new) songs comes from riff-writing a lot more now rather than chord structure. “Before, when I brought in my songs, it was ‘do this, do this, solo here’. Now we have everyone’s input. “We’ve written two songs now as a band and they’re verging on the blues, which is a bit different again.” Those two new songs weren’t written in time for the EP, which was recorded between April and June at Smith Sound in Naringal with producer/engineer Brenton Smith. “(We picked the songs on Boozehound because) we heard from people that they were the better songs and thought we’d record what people wanted to hear,” Fletcher said. But he added that he’s already keen to get back in the studio as soon as possible. “We’ll probably do another EP,” he said. “We want to get recording again pretty quick with some of the band-written songs. We’ve gotten some good feedback from the newer ones we’ve been writing, so we’re keen to get those out.” Boozehound features four songs (plus a secret track) and is available at Capricorn Records in Warrnambool, with a release on iTunes expected in the coming days. It’s already begun picking up airplay in Melbourne and Sydney. Tomorrow night’s launch will be filmed and recorded with the aim of making a film clip. The Alamo will follow the gig with a launch at Collingwood’s Bendigo Hotel on August 30 and a support slot with The Go Set and The Real McKenzies at The Loft in Warrnambool on August 28.

Airbourne

Warrnambool rock fans 'bourne to be wild

 

Warrnambool Standard July23rd, 2013-


Airbourne band members Justin Street (left), Joel O’Keeffe, Ryan O’Keeffe and Dave Roads soak up the Warrnambool atmosphere before performing
WARRNAMBOOL audiences might not be as overwhelming as the crowds of 90,000 Airbourne has become accustomed to, but they’re still the wildest. The band, which has reached international success since its formation in 2003, returned to where it all began to perform for 500 people at the Whalers Hotel on Friday night. It was the opening of their five-show Australian tour to promote their third album Black Dog Barking. Frontman Joel O’Keeffe said the group’s last gig in Warrnambool, at the Criterion Hotel in 2006, was one of the wildest shows they had ever played. “One of Ryan’s friends climbed to the top of the PA and jumped up through the ceiling fan and cut his head open … and kept rocking out,” Joel said. “Ever since we first started playing in Warrnambool it was always crazy crowds.” Drummer Ryan O’Keeffe said the band, which also includes David Roads and Justin Street, was often asked what gave them their intense energy on stage. “We kind of say it’s probably because the town we come from is very sports driven. Everyone is very pumped up and loves a drink,” Ryan said. The group returned home a few days before their performance to spend time with family and visit one of their favourite venues, The Cally hotel. “We had a few cans with the uncles (uncles Mick and Gerard), watched a bit of cricket so that was good,” Joel said. He also said it was disappointing to see the Criterion Hotel gone. The venue was reopened for the band while it was working on preproduction of its second album, No Guts. No Glory. released in 2010. “It’s kind of like when the Lady Bay got torn down — a place where you miss it because it’s kind of like a friend in a way. You’d see bands there and had such good times there and now it’s all gone, it can never happen again,” Joel said. The brothers said they were looking forward to performing at the Whalers Hotel even though it was a smaller space. “It’s been a long time since we’ve played with just one stack a side,” Ryan said. Whalers Hotel venue manager Nic Cogger said the band put on a high-energy show and the audience responded well. “It was very loud but they (the crowd) embraced it. It was a small space for them but they definitely had a sound system to blow everyone away,” Mr Cogger said. In 2013 Airbourne has been busy touring festivals in Europe and prior to that it was performing in the US. One of its biggest shows was at Germany’s Rock am Ring festival to a crowd of 90,000 people. “There’s that many people you just can’t take it in, you just think ‘don’t f... up’. It really is overwhelming. You can’t let it get to you though, otherwise you would just freak out,” Joel said. While the boys are now based in Melbourne, Ryan said they were mostly on the road “living out of a suitcase”. For the remainder of the year they will be touring in the US and Europe, but want to make it back to Australia next year. Next on Airbourne’s agenda is to tackle countries where it hasn’t yet performed.

Warrnambool rockers Airbourne to make flying visit home?

Warrnambool Standard Apr. 10th, 2013-

AIRBOURNE look set to return to Warrnambool to play their first gig in their home town in more than six years.
While nothing is locked in, drummer Ryan O’Keeffe confirmed discussions are under way that could lead to the hard rock band playing at the Whalers Hotel in July.
“I can’t confirm or deny that,” he began with a laugh.
“Let’s just say nothing’s been put on paper yet but it’s been discussed.
“In this industry stuff gets moved around a bit but (a Warrnambool gig) has definitely been talked about.”
If it did happen, it would be the first time Airbourne has played a gig in Warrnambool since December, 2006, when they rocked a crowd of 200 people at the Criterion Hotel.
“I still remember that gig — that was one of the gigs that really sticks in your head,” O’Keeffe recalled.
“I clearly remember Scott Patten climbing on to the PA, jumping off and doing a somersault into the ceiling fan,” he laughed.
O’Keeffe said there was “a small window (in July) for us to pop back (to Australia) and do a few shows before we go (overseas) again”.
Airbourne is about to return to North America to play 17 shows in four weeks ahead of the release of their third album Black Dog Barking, which is due out May 21.
Then in June, the four-piece — O’Keeffe, his frontman brother Joel, bassist Justin Street and rhythm guitarist David Roads — will be back in Europe to play a series of major outdoor festivals, including Metalfest, Impact, Rock im Park, Rock am Ring and Sonisphere.
Airbourne has been off the road for almost a year-and-a-half, during which they spent a lot of time in North America recording the album with Brian Howes.

Full metal honour

Warrnambool Standard May 28th, 2009 - 

WARRNAMBOOL'S favourite pub-rockers Airbourne will share a stage with Metallica, Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails, Lamb Of God and Alice In Chains in August. Airbourne have been selected to play at the open air metal festival Sonisphere at Knebworth, UK on August 1-2. Also on the bill are Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Seven­fold, Anthrax, Mastodon and Thin Lizzy. Airbourne will also play the huge Wacken Open Air event in Germany on July 31 with Motorhead, Napalm Death, Coheed & Cambria, Lacuna Coil and more.

Rockers run wild again Matt Neal - Warrnambool Standard 13th June 2007

EARLIER this year, it looked like the Airbourne bubble had burst. Their incendiary live shows and a multi-million-dollar international record deal had earnt the pub-rockers from Warrnambool a reputation as the band of 2007 before a single disc had even hit the stores. Then it all blew up, seemingly before it had even started - Airbourne had been dumped by US label Capitol Records just months out from the release of the debut album. ``We found out (we'd been dropped by Capitol) just before we played the St Kilda Festival,'' affable front man Joel O'Keeffe said, speaking to The Standard for the first time in more than a year thanks to a management-imposed media ban. ``We were about to play in front of about 30,000 people... we just thought f... it, we've got a gig to do, let's just get on with it. ``It was a really good show and we felt better after that. It's turned out we're better off without Capitol because they're kind of folding.

``Every interview we've done in the US lately (the reporters) have said it was good we got out of there.''

Not only did Airbourne escape a sinking ship, they jumped with their album under their arms and no debt.

``Yeah, we came out of it really good,'' O'Keeffe said. ``We got out scot-free.''

Their debut album Runnin' Wild - due out Saturday week _ hasn't come cheap either.

The band spent six months, according to O'Keeffe, living in a filthy Los Angeles hotel room and fully embracing the rock'n'roll lifestyle while they worked on the album with Black Sabbath producer Bob Marlette.

``We smashed the hotel room over there,'' he explained gleefully. ``We ripped the mirrors off the doors and gaffer taped them to the wall. We just threw our rubbish in the hotel room and we let the rubbish just build up.

``We had a rat in there by the end of it...  we caught the rat in an esky and just chucked the esky outside.''

In between drunken singalongs of Rose Tattoo's We Can't Be Beaten and security guards bashing on the door, Airbourne carved out the solid rock of Runnin' Wild, which has already had the few critics who have heard it tripping over themselves with praise.

The record looks like re-starting the Airbourne buzz engine, which momentarily hiccupped with the news of their international label dumping them.

O'Keeffe said the band was close to signing a deal to release the album in the US and an unrelated deal has already been signed that will see the  songs end up on the soundtracks to numerous computer games released by worldwide company EA Games, starting with another instalment of the popular John Madden NFL series.

The band's sound would be better suited to an AFL game, O'Keeffe said, adding the band listened to mostly Oz rockers  while working on the record, such as The Angels, Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs, Jimmy Barnes, and Cold Chisel. Some other less obvious influences crept in too.  ``We also got to see (`80s hair metal bands) W.A.S.P., Poison, and Cinderella and that was a bit of an influence.''

But rather than dwell on their almost-released debut, O'Keeffe is focused on the future.

``The day we finished recording the first one, we got back to the hotel room and said, `all right, let's start on the next one'.'' Airbourne, who have been on the road since returning to Australia in November last year, are lining up tour after tour.  They'll do a run of album launches, then a bigger national tour, then probably head to the US and Europe.

ALBUM REVIEW
Runnin' Wild Airbourne (EMI)
AIRBOURNE have landed, fists in the air and  beer-soaked locks blowing in the wind.

The  debut album delivers on the intensity of the Warrnambool pub-rock quartet's live shows.

And rock it does, rolling along on Streety's chugging bass, rock-steady drumming from Ryan O'Keeffe, shout-along choruses, and some of the best riffs AC/DC ever wrote.

Some will object to the heavy Accadacca borrowing, although their songwriting has improved and now includes hints of Rose Tattoo, Motley Crue and The Angels on highlights such as opening mission statement Stand Up For Rock'N'Roll and boozy sleaze of Diamond in the Rough.

But the fact is Airbourne are a hard-rockin', beer-swillin' band that will bring pub patrons to their knees in worship of a past Oz Rock era.

Airbourne have arrived.
- MATT NEAL

Airbourne lands home

Warrnambool Standard Dec.8, 2006  - .  

TWO hundred lucky fans packed Warrnambool's Criterion Hotel to hear Airbourne's first home-town gig since the local band signed a $2 million debut album deal last year. The eagerly-awaited sell-out gig gave a taste of the young group's energetic style which won the attention of EMI music producers. Among the crowd was bassist Justin Street's father, Peter. He predicted a bright future for the band, which has spent much of the year in the US developing the album due to be released in March. However, the band's management held firm on a long-standing media ban, refusing an interview request from The Standard and restricting photographs to the first three songs. The stop-off was part of the group's national pub rock tour. Airbourne comprises Street, siblings Joel (singer and lead guitarist) and Ryan O'Keeffe (guitar) and David Roads (drums).

Sky's the limit for local band 

Matt Neal - Warrnambool Standard 13th Oct. 2005 - 
WARRNAMBOOL rock band Airbourne has signed an unprecedented international deal to make five albums for worldwide label Capitol Records. The Standard revealed in August that the group, comprising brothers Joel and Ryan O'Keeffe, David Roads and Justin Street, was at the centre of a massive bidding war between all but one major label in Australia. Joel and Ryan's dad Denis confirmed yesterday that the band would be flying to the US next month to check out studios and producers for a first album. But the band's manager Gregg Donovan refused to comment on the deal and would not allow any of the band to talk to The Standard. According to The Age, the signing is believed to be worth up to $2 million Ð the biggest contract ever for an unsigned Australian band. Denis said the lads held out for months to get the deal they really wanted before signing with Capitol and locally EMI a week ago. "I'm very proud of what they've done," he said. "For a while I thought they had a certain arrogance about what they wanted. "I would have been quite happy when they could have signed an Australian deal. "But Joel and Ryan had done their research and always had the intention to sign overseas - they knew the creative people overseas do not like getting behind an album recorded in Australia." While Denis said such a deal did not guarantee the band success, it did guarantee Airbourne albums would be given the same backing and support worldwide as albums by Capitol's other bands, which include Coldplay, Radiohead, REM, The Vines and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Airbourne formed in Warrnambool in late 2001 and quickly became regulars at the Criterion Hotel, launching its debut self-funded recording there just 14 months ago.

Airbourne at Meredith

Warrnambool Standard 8th Sep. 2005 - 
 WARRNAMBOOL hard-rockers Airbourne has been named in the initial 15 bands for the 15th Meredith Music Festival on December 9 to 11. The AC/DC lovin' four-piece is being courted by almost every record label in the country. This and acclaimed shows in Melbourne have caught the eyes of Meredith organisers. Also on the bill is south-west connected eight-piece Architecture In Helsinki, which will follow its second overseas jaunt this year with a spot at the much-loved festival. The bands will be joined by The Avalanches DJ show, fair dinkum legends You Am I, much-hyped rockers Wolfmother, ex-Pavement front man Stephen Malkmus and his new band The Jicks, Brit rockers Billy Childish And The Buff Medways, excellent Melbourne electro outfit Cut Copy, new indie darlings Okkervil River, English producer-DJs The Nextmen, funk DJ, Johnny Idem, gorgeous pop outfit Clare Bowditch And The Feeding Set, raucous duo The Mess Hall and Brisbane's answer to The White Stripes, The Grates. Fifteen more bands will be announced soon. Tickets on sale.

Record labels bid to get Airbourne

Matt Neal - Warrnambool Standard 13th Aug. 2005 - 
ALMOST every record label in Australia is engaged in a bidding war over Warrnmbool band Airbourne, according to the group and its manager. The news comes as Airbourne, was confirmed as a support for US rockers Motley Crue when it plays at the Palais in Melbourne later this year. Airbourne frontman Joel O'Keeffe and band manager Greg Donovan, who also manages Grinspoon, said every major label in Australia except Warners was fighting over the band. "I guess you could can it a bidding war," O'Keeffe admitted reluctantly. "Things are buzzing like a bumblebee (but) we're trying to concentrate on the music because that's more important - our manager looks after that stuff." Donovan said it was the biggest bidding war in Australia since Jet, whose multi-platinum debut album sold more than half a million copies and won six ARIAs. "This happens only once every few years. There are even companies from America that are coming to see them play in the next few weeks," Donovan said. The band, which features O'Keeffe, his brother Ryan, David Roads and Justin Street, has been the subject of many rumours since moving from Warrnambool to Melbourne at the end of last year. O'Keeffe said the funniest one was that ACIDC was suing Airbourne because of its similar sound. AC/DC's label Albert Music was among the record companies chasing the group. Before the year is out, Airbourne will support Motley Crue in December and undertake a national tour with .Perth emo-rockers After The Fall. "We're keen to get down to Warrnambool," O'Keeffe said.

Airbourne takes off

Warrnambool Standard 22 July 2004 -
AC/DC famously saluted "those about to rock", which means they should have definitely saluted Warrnambool rockers "Airbourne". The group is definitely about to rock - tomorrow night it will load in the Marshall stacks and unleash its debut album "Ready to rock" at its spiritual home, the Criterion Hotel.
The band, which inserted a "u" into its name recently after finding the moniker attached to groups in Scotland and New Zealand, spent time in Melbourne's Hot House Studios recording the album earlier this year, front man Joel O'Keeffe said. "We did four days and then another day where I had to go back and do vocals because I had the flu and couldn't sing", he explained.
O'Keeffe said the band, which includes his brother Ryan (drums), rhythm guitarist David Roads and new bassist Justin Street had recorded at Motherlode Studios, but decided to take the plunge and go to Melbourne to make Ready to rock, where they got to record through a mixing desk used by their heroes AC/DC.
"A lot of people who tell us about the album say it sounds like AC/DC", O'Keeffe said proudly before conceding "but there's not really many on there other than AC/DC. AC/DC aren't the only rock and roll band, but they're one of the only ones you can put on in a pub and nobody hates them. Today's music we reckon is s***. There are a few hopes, like the Cassanovas and bands like that. (The Cassanovas) are one of the few bands bringing the AC/DC stuff back".
O'Keeffe agreed that they could be perceived as AC/DC clones, but added the band had started diversifying more, listing Queen, Judas Priest, Motorhead and Motley Crue as acts that had influenced the group's newer material. The new work has been road-tested at the endless number of Cri gigs performed since forming in 2000 and will form part of the band's arsenal when it heads to Melbourne at the end of the year.
O'Keeffe said members would finish their education and then relocate to the capital city, with hopefully a few Melbourne gigs under their belts before they get there. "We hope to be there for about 6 or 12 months (so) we want to make the landing easier when we get to Melbourne. We're going to be doing this for the rest of our lives".
Airbourne will be supported at tomorrow night's Cri CD launch by local band Daisycutter and will play launches in Hamilton, Portland and Geelong in coming months. O'Keeffe will also be appearing on 3WAY-FM's Volcanic Rock on Wednesday night next week talking about Ready to Rock from about 9 pm.

Brothers airborne

Warrnambool Standard 13th March 2003 -
WARRNAMBOOL rock'n'roll band Airborne is flying high after being named best musicians at the Push-On Battle of the Bands competition. The state finals, at Melbourne last Sunday, saw the Warrnambool quartet crank-up the volume and blast their way to success. "It came across that we're a pub band. That's where we belong and where we'd rather be — we're obviously not a band for 12-year-olds," lead singer and guitarist Joel O'Keeffe said. "Most of the bands were playing poppy stuff and had the amps turned up to three or four. We came on and turned the amps up to 10 and let them have it." O'Keeffe said the award was good recognitiion for the band. "I guess it means we can play our instruments all right. We've been in a few (competitions) but nothing as big as this." Push-On is recognised as one ofthe most prestigious band competitions in Victoria. Airborne made the state finals after success at a regional level. The band, which also includes Ryan O'Keeffe on drums, Adam Jacobson on bass and David Roads on rhythm guitar, plays original material inspired by the Oz Rock pub scene, particularly AC/DC and Billy Thorpe. And, true to their pub origins, their next two gigs will be at Warrnambool's Criterion Hotel, supporting Rollerball on March 21 and on April 5.

Brothers airborne
Warrnambool Standard 13th March 2003 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2003 All rights reserved
Joel and Ryan O'keeffeWARRNAMBOOL rock’n’roll band Airborne is flying high after being named best musicians at the Push-On Battle of the Bands competition. The state finals, at Melbourne last Sunday, saw the Warrnambool quartet crank-up the volume and blast their way to success. "It came across that we’re a pub band. That’s where we belong and where we’d rather be — we’re obviously not a band for 12-year-olds," lead singer and guitarist Joel O’Keeffe said. "Most of the bands were playing poppy stuff and had the amps turned up to three or four. We came on and turned the amps up to 10 and let them have it." O’Keeffe said the award was good recognitiion for the band. "I guess it means we can play our instruments all right. We’ve been in a few (competitions) but nothing as big as this." Push-On is recognised as one ofthe most prestigious band competitions in Victoria. Airborne made the state finals after success at a regional level. The band, which also includes Ryan O’Keeffe on drums, Adam Jacobson on bass and David Roads on rhythm guitar, plays original material inspired by the Oz Rock pub scene, particularly AC/DC and Billy Thorpe. And, true to their pub origins, their next two gigs will be at Warrnambool’s Criterion Hotel, supporting Rollerball on March 21 and on April 5