Schipper set to shine

Schipper set to shine -- New single for Nancie Schipper
by Anthony Brady Warrnambool Standard 30th June 2017

SOME big names in the Australian music industry have hitched their wagons to talented Killarney teenager Nancie Schipper. On July 13, Schipper will release her new single Corner Store. The song has been produced by Matt Fell, who has also worked with Tim Freedman, Sara Storer, John Williamson, Damien Leith and Ian Moss. Schipper also recruited Kasey Chambers’ band, Grizzlee Train, as her back-up band for the single and forthcoming album. Schipper, said she was thrilled to surround herself with such star power. “I have played at the same places as Grizzlee Train before and also played with them so I have got to know them.” Schipper said. “I’m rapt to be able to work with them, they played on all the tracks on the album. “And to have Matt as a producer is amazing, he is such a professional.” The yet to be named album is Schipper’s second, following on from her debut, Haunted House, which was released in 2015. All 10 tracks on the second album have been recorded and are ready to be mixed and mastered. Schipper is hoping the album, which was recorded in Sydney, will be released by the end of 2017. All tracks on the album, including the soon to be released single, have been written by Schipper. Despite still being in the formative stage of her career, Schipper is already a prolific songwriter. This volume of work has created some positive headaches for the 17 year old. “We were going to start recording in February and I had the songs for the album already picked out,” Schipper said. “But the recording got pushed back to May and I changed my mind so many times about what songs I was going to record for the album. “In my live shows, I play 15-20 originals and it is always nice to get a good response to them.” While 2017 brings with it excitement in the recording studio, Schipper has also grown her live audience. A highlight was her debut performance at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in March.

The Gutted Rabbits spring to life

Warrnambool Standard 27th July 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2006. 

 

Weird dress sense is a feature of The Gutted Rabbits, which are hopping back into action.

In the mid-’80s and early ’90s, Deakin University Football Netball Club was better known for its sense of humour than its prowess on the field. Part of that sense of humour was the club’s resident band The Gutted Rabbits, a gaudily-dressed bunch of pub rockers that was the house band at a number of Sharks functions during that era. With the Deakin club celebrating 30 years of football on Saturday night, it seemed fitting to line-up The Gutted Rabbits for a reunion gig. The band was renowned for its humourous songs. The other eye-catching aspect of The Gutted Rabbits was their outfits, which usually involved a healthy helping of ’70s clothing, both male and female. The group features three singers in former Sharks Stephen Mitchell, Ruddy Holland and Chris Bailey, with their backing band featuring The Monaros’ Gav Steere (bass), drummer David ‘‘Dinga’’ Bell, local guitar hero Danny Grigg, and former Sharks coach Ken Radley (rhythm guitar). The band formed in 1985 and played at least one gig a year until its final gig on July 2, 1994. During their career The Gutted Rabbits recorded an album called Myxomatosis, which has been re-released to celebrate the reunion.

Grungestock’s dirty dozen

Warrnambool Standard 2nd Feb. 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2006. 

THE now-legendary Deakin O-Week celebration known as Grungestock turns 12 this year. Headlining the all-ages event will be Perth act Little Birdy. It will be joined by Sydney art-rockers Faker fresh from the Big Day Out tour and scoring the number 21 track on Triple J’s Hottest 100 with Hurricane. Lake Bolac’s own rock export The Exploders will make its southwest debut and Warrnambool’s pop-punks Zygoma will complete the line-up. Grungestock 12 is set for February 23 on the Warrnambool campus cafe lawn, with bands from 7pm until 12.30am and DJs The Enforcers, Scotrod, Direkt and DJ Feigan from 10pm until 3am in the cafe.

Photos from Mickey Bourkes' Koroit Hotel -- Feb. 22nd 2009

 

Brett Holbrook, John Maroniti

 

Brett Holbrook, John Maroniti, Prof Walters

 

Brett Holbrook, John Maroniti, Prof Walters

 

John Maroniti, Brett Holbrook, Russ Goodear

 

Michael Schack, John Maroniti

 

John Maroniti, Prof Walters, Grant Fenton

 

John Maroniti, Prof Walters, Grant Fenton

Band regroups for good cause

Warrnambool Standard 29th July1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1999.

CLAD in tight-fitting checkered shirts and sporting big hair-styles, this 1980s Warrnambool rock band was as popular as the blowwaves and legwarmers of the era. Granny’s Grave, a southern-country swing group, was formed in the city in 1978 and quickly became one of the most sought-after local groups ever to grace the stages of Warrnambool. After a 15-year break from the scene, members of Granny’s Grave are planning to re-form and will test their ‘80s appeal with the more diverse pub scene of the ‘90s. The band, consisting of Eric Read (drums), Proph Walters (bass) and lead guitarists John Maroniti and Tim Netherway, has re-formed and will make its debut performance at the Grand Hotel this Sunday in the name of charity. Maroniti’s stepson Christopher Pyke is undergoing extensive treatments for a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia and the band will perform to raise money for travelling and medical costs for the family. Read said yesterday the band would also perform at a fund-raiser in memory of country singer Hank Williams at the Criterion Hotel next month. Read said inspiration for the band’s name came from the historical Warrnambool landmark, which was also a popular hangout for youth during the 1960s. “Back in the 60s the pubs would be shut by 10pm and everyone would head down to the grave — it was a party scene,” he said. “We played together for about eight years and then Johnny left to form the Motorvators and I left on the same day. The other two auditioned for more band members and it kept going for a few years after that.” Read said the band was a regular performer at the Lady Bay’s Zoo night as well as at district functions. He said the decision to re-form had been “purely for fun”. After the charity events, the group would look into performing at Sunday sessions at local hotels, he said. The four have remained involved in the musical scene, Maroniti with the Motorvators, Netherway with gigs at the RSL and Walters with Sound Advice. Read has enjoyed a four-year break from performing. “We just wanted to help Johnny out.We’ve all been friends for ages and it really is just for fun,” Read said. The group plays both originals and cover songs from bands such as America and The Amazing Rhythm Aces. Sunday’s afternoon session at the Grand Hotel will kick off at noon. It will also feature Lost in Suberbia [sic], Motorvators and Boyd and Trevor.

Granny's Grave -- Warrnambool band

Compiled by Michael Schack in May 1999 from information provided by Tim Netherway, Eric Read and Wendy Goyen.

In 1977 members of Warrnambool band "The Mod Squad" splintered in different directions. While Dick Barns donned his cowboy hat for "Nevada", guitarist Tim Netherway headed up "Granny's Grave Band". He was joined by ex-"West Side Federation" drummer Eric Read, a recent departee from a Melbourne country music band, "Homestead", and bass player Peter "Prof" Walters. The impetus for the band came when the new proprietors of the Lady Bay ("Cork" and "Dackers") offered Granny's Grave ten weeks work for six nights of each week (a workload only dreamt of by most of today's musicians).  A fresh faced John Maroniti joined as guitarist, and "Granny's Grave" embarked on a musical expedition that was to span three decades, countless kilometres, and multiple musical genres and members. The band name came from local history - in 1848 the first white woman to be buried in the area, a Mrs. James Raddleston, was interred in the sand dunes at the Warrnambool beach, and the grave site has always been known to locals as "Granny's Grave". Granny's Grave Band was always great entertainment. In 1980, Jake Steele, a reporter with the Melbourne based magazine "Across country", visited the Grand Hotel when Granny's Grave was playing. His report published in that magazine referred to a full dance floor, everybody laughing and having a good time and a tight, gutsy band performing numbers like "Westbound and down" and "Wichita jail" to more mellow country songs like "American dream" and even Willie Nelson's "Georgia". He also enjoyed the one-liners and comedy routines produced by the band.In time, Eric left the band to pursue careers in "The Nightowls" and "Small Change", and subsequent drummers included Roland Evans, Andrew Gray and Graeme Saunders.  John Maroniti left to form the "Motorvators", and Wendy Goyen joined as vocalist/guitarist/keyboard. Wendy was in the band from 1983-1988 and considers herself fortunate to start a music career in an established band playing at least once a week and with bookings a year in advance. The band's set list during her spell expanded to encompass things like Stop your fussin (Toni Childs) and Ain't no sunshine (a Bill Withers song that Wendy continued to sing in Second Line). Among her favourite memories are playing at country functions in places like Gorea West and support gigs for artists such as Col Elliot, Tony Pantano and Ronnie Burns (later to join the club circuit with Daryl Cotton and Russell Morris). In the early 1990s, Tim and the others re-united with another ex-West Side Federation member - keyboard player John "Jack" McKinnon, who had returned to the district after a metropolitan career highlighted by his spell as keyboardist for 70s rock group "Madder Lake".  During this period of its history "Granny's Grave" performed dually as a cabaret band and a pub rock band under the name "Blind Tiger". The original members reformed for the "Rock back the clock" cabaret at the Civic Hall in 1990, and in 1999 re-convened for a 3WAY-FM fundraiser in honour of Hank Williams' birthday (17th Sept.)  In 1999, Prof Walters was the bass player for "Sound Advice" (which also included one of the Granny's Grave drummers - Graeme Saunders), John Maroniti was in the "Motorvators", Tim Netherway played lead guitar with "Old Spice", Wendy Goyen sang with "Second Line" and "Lost in Suburbia" and Eric Read ran a successful telecommunications company (he was observed playing drums at Dick Barns' 50th birthday in 1998).

Granny's Grave band....more alive than dead...

By Jake Steel. First published in Across Country magazine no. 15 (1980). Reproduction authorised by the editor (Christine Whyte).

A couple of months ago, when down gathering snippets of country music in that little old seaside, crayfish, village of Warrnambool, I strolled into a local street bar, part of the Grand hotel in the main drag. There was a nice-sized crowd with everybody laughing and drinking and having a real good time. The dance floor was full and even the girls behind the bar were smiling, (and that's not a common sight). But the people most enjoying themselves were a little four piece country cabaret band who were creating the lively atmosphere for the whole place. Propped against the bar, I sipped and listened to this tight, gutsy band perform numbers like "Westbound and down" and "Wichita jail" to more mellow country songs like "American dream" and even Willie Nelson's "Georgia". Their repertoire and choice of songs was such that I found myself dancing with people I didn't even know. I also had many a "good old belly laugh", at the one-liners and comedy routines produced by the band. During one of their breaks I made my way to the bandstand to meet the four guys that had set the Grand patrons toes-a-tappin'. I introduced myself to the drummer, Eric (Coogee) Read, who I had met before as a foundation member of Homestead back in their three piece bluegrass days. Coogee informed me that he left Homestead three years ago, shifted to Warrnambool, and with two of his friends, Teejay Netherway (guitar) and Prof Walters (bass), both very capable local musicians, formed this band called Granny's Grave. I asked the obvious question "Why such a name?" Coogee then gave me a run down on the local history of the first white settlement in the early 1800s. In 1848 the first white woman to be buried in the area, a Mrs. James Raddleston, was interred in the sand dunes at the Warrnambool beach, and the grave site has always been known to locals as "Granny's Grave",  hence the name of the band. Coogee also whispered that Teejay, the oldest member of the band, legend has it, may have been the son of Granny. The band's fourth member, an ex-Greek paratrooper, is known as "Marra" (guitar), who has a well known comedy song dedicated to him - "The Marra song". The band adapts well known comedy songs to suit and has a few originals as well. They have recorded a few local jingles, but are more interested in entertaining people of the Western District of Victoria, and, after seeing them perform, I believe they do it very competently. I sincerely hope we hear a lot more about "Granny's Grave Band" in the future. This kind of friendly, lighthearted entertainment is what more country-cabaret bands should aim for. "Granny's Grave Band" sure gave me a mighty fine feeling of country comfort in my bones.

No Pink Floyd revival

By MATT NEAL - Warrnambool Standard 6th Jan. 2005 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2005.

REMEMBERING how to play Gramps songs has been like riding a bike, according to the band members who are reforming for a one-off reunion gig on Saturday night. The band, which was Unearthed by Triple J in 1998, will perform at the Victoria Hotel at Port Fairy from 10pm. For members Jordan Lockett (drums), David Gibb (guitar /vocals), Joel Coxall (bass) and Gus Franklin (guitar), it will be their first gig together as Gramps since January 19, 1999. Lockett said he had been jamming with Gibb and Coxall in preparation for the event and the rock-punk quartet would reunite with Franklin for a last-minute rehearsal when he got down from Melbourne. “The jams have been going great. It’s like riding a bike,” the drummer said. “I’m as pumped as I could possibly be. “I’ve been hoping this would happen for years. “I never wanted the band to split up but we had different lives and were doing different stuff.” Lockett will help open the night with his new band, A Bit How Ya Goin’. They will be followed by special guests The Casinos, which features Franklin on drums, before Gramps closes the night. Coxall, who has spent the past year and a half in Queensland, said he hadn’t played much music since Gramps disbanded. “Once we started playing again it just clicked,” he said of the recent rehearsals. “I’m back for a while now so I’d like to try and get something going after this gig.” Gibb agreed the rehearsals had been great. “The songs just started coming back,” he said. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought. It’s been fun so far. “It’s something we’ve always talked about but I hadn’t given it that much thought.” Lockett said he and Franklin caught up a few weeks ago at a Casinos gig in Melbourne and had hastily arranged the event. Franklin said he was “totally pumped”. “It’s with a little hesitation though, remembering everything and making sure it’s a good show,” Franklin said, adding he hoped it didn’t come out like ‘‘one of those bad Pink Floyd revivals’’. “We’ve all been talking about this since the band stopped happening when I moved to Melbourne. “It’s cool it’s happening.” Franklin, who plays with The Casinos, The Smallgoods and Architecture In Helsinki, said he was glad The Casinos had been able to get together to support his old band.

 

Gramps, 1998 vintage: (clockwise from top left) Jordan Lockett, Joel Coxall, David Gibb, Gus Franklin and sound engineer Tim Edwards are back together for a reunion gig. 

The Grahams

Musical lads aim for stars
by Sarah Scopelianos. Warrnambool Standard April 22 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2006. 

The Grahams have their sights on groupies, chicks, national tours and following in the footsteps of the south-west’s latest musical export Airbourne. The band has been together for only months but schoolboys Tim Emanuelle, Clarke Finn and Matthew Grave, along with lead singer Wil Ridley, made a favourable impression at HypeO6 in their debut last night. Influenced by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Rage Against the Machine, The Grahams play originals along with a crowd- pleasing mix of cover songs. While the eager foursome have their eyes on “conquering the world” and the American market they are willing to take on character-building pub scene after last night’s showcase performance at the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre. The Warni Festival show of more than performers included music, fashion, comedy, dance and fire twirlers. Skaters will take to the Warrnambool Skate Park ramps from 11am today and Battle of the Bands begins at 730pm at Warrnambool Civic Hall as a part of the weekend’s range of festival activities.

The Grahams step out
Warrnambool Standard 20th July 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2006. 

SINCE forming earlier this year, Warrnambool funk-rockers The Grahams has finished second at a Freeza battle of the bands and won a heat of the Seanchai’s open mike competition. Tomorrow night the band steps out and makes its pub-gig debut when it supports Port Fairy’s psychedelic surfers Mourning Of The Earth and Warrnambool alt-rockers The Extreme Sprinklers at the Criterion Hotel. Front man Wil Ridley said the song Hit And Miss has been listened to almost 1000 times since it was added to myspace.com/thegrahamsfunk two weeks ago. The Grahams will also play at TheLoft on Friday, August 4 with Warrnambool teenage blues-rock trio The Roaring 40s and The Extreme Sprinklers.

Gonz picks his sidemen well

Warrnambool Standard April 6 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2006.

MOST bands can be a struggle to put together, but some groups just fall into place perfectly. Warrnambool singer-songwriter Steven ‘‘Gonz’’ Garner couldn’t be happier with the way his new quintet The Chosen Few has lined up. The TAFE music course graduate spent two years fronting Crymsin Room before embarking on a solo career ‘‘to learn how to play in front of people’’. ‘‘I promised myself I’d do solo gigs for two years (and then start) looking for a band,’’ Garner said. In a short period of time he’d ‘‘found four amazing players’’, he explained. Backing frontman Garner are the ‘‘duelling, note-perfect guitars’’ of Mark Halliwell (Stranglehold) and Darren Ely (Ginjan), bassist Geoff Cain (Tank Dilemma, Southern Sons) and drummer Harry Fahey (The Extreme Sprinklers). The group has two tough gigs under its collective belt. One, a spot playing to hardly anyone at the disappointing Summer Daze festival and the other was the hard ask of doing a Sunday session at the Hotel Warrnambool in competition with the Folkie. While the Hotel Warrnambool gig was admittedly a bit of a throw together, the response was great, Garner said. Not bad for a group that on Tuesday night rehearsed as a five-piece for only the third time, having previously practiced in twos and threes. ‘‘It’s thanks to having seriously good musicians,’’ he said. ‘‘The songs are pretty basic and the guys fill in the gaps and make them sound dynamic.’’ Garner writes all The Chosen Few’s original material, with a couple of tracks dating back to the Crymsin Room days (2002-‘04), but the majority were written in the past couple of years. The Chosen Few performs at the Hotel Warrnambool on Sunday from 3pm.

Gonz forms new trio

Warrnambool Standard 22nd Jan 2004 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2004.

LOCAL solo performer Gonz will front his new band for the first time on Friday night at the Liquid Lounge. The unnamed trio features Gonz (aka Steven Garner) on vocals and acoustic guitar, his former Crymsin Room bandmate and bassist Michael Vowles, and another local solo performer Adza aka Adam Geyer) on drums. Gonz said the band offered a chance for him to concentrate on his original music and finetune the 20 or so songs he has written before the group records them later this year. He said the inspiration behind the trio was the great feedback he had received when slipping the occasional original tune into his covers set list. As a covers performer, Gonz has racked up many gigs in the past 15 months, playing regularly at the Fishbowl and the Liquid Lounge, and supporting the likes of Chris Wilson and Xavier Rudd. He described his new trio’s sound as being “acoustic in the vein of Weddings Parties Anything”. Gonz and his new trio will perform at the Liquid Lounge on Friday night from 10pm.

Goanna going big

Warrnambool Standard 23rd July 1998 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1998.

Goanna will appear at this year's prestigious Melbourne Festival alongside acclaimed international and other Australian performers. The festival will include two shows by the band,  led by south-west musician Shane Howard, at the Melbourne Concert Hall. Guest performers at the two Goanna shows  will include influential black poet Lionel Fogarty, the award winning Jagera Jarjum dancers, and members of the Irish band Hothouse Flowers. Goanna emerged from a 15-year hiatus earlier this year to release a new single, Sorry, written by Marcia Howard as a tribute to the "stolen generations" of Aboriginal children.

One out of the Glovebox

Warrnambool Standard 14th Dec.  2000 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2000

SOME of the south-west’s most familiar faces have joined together to create another band for the Warrnambool music scene. Second Line and Lost In Suburbia’s Wendy Goyen and Blue Heat’s Barry and Graeme Galbraith have joined with Paul Van Zelst to create the newest cover band around town, Glovebox. Covering classics from the likes of the Pretenders, Carole King and Sade, Goyen said the band had chosen its name for specific purposes. “We do a bit of everything, a bit of blues, a bit of jazz and some older contemporary music — basically the songs that are in everybody’s glovebox,” she said. Goyen said the band was created to perform the “bread and butter” shows. “We basically did this because there was a void in the area as far as weddings and cabaret bands go,” she said. Glovebox will be performing at the Hotel Warrnambool on January 10 and the Mahogany Ship restaurant on New Year’s Eve.

Rockers kick out the ’jans

Warrnambool Standard 8th Jan. 2004 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2004

WARRNAMBOOL rock band Ginjan is looking forward to a big 2004, which it will kick-start with a gig at the Criterion Hotel tomorrow night. The band, which released its debut album Off With My Head last year, is working on a series of film clips it hopes to finish soon to further promote the record. Lead singer and bass player Nick How said the group had been adding a stack of covers to its set list of original songs to find more gigs around the area. “(Guitarist) Darren (Ely) and myself have been doing solo work lately as a way of funding the whole original music thing,” How said. “We’re having to compromise and play a few more covers to get more regular work,” he said, listing Iron Maiden, The Angels and Foo Fighters as some of the bands whose songs they’ve covered. “It’s a matter of making sure we keep in sight the main goal and that is we need to get out and do more gigs.” Ginjan will head to Portland and possibly Shepparton in the coming weeks to perform, but the big aim is to do a Melbourne launch for Off With My Head, where the film clips will hopefully be screened. A video for Try Rockin’ In Nepal, which features the band playing on a ski slope wearing nothing but the instruments, and one for Play With The Weather are almost finished. There are also plans afoot to turn Show Me The Money and Reality TV into film clips, as well as to record some new songs later in the year. Bodyjar marks its nomination

Reign of the Ghostriders

by Jacinta Evans. Warrnambool Standard 21st Dec 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard1999.

 
Ghost Riders with Ricky Henderson - Battle of the Sounds

Throughout the 1950s and '60s, the Palais dance hall was the place to be on a Saturday night. For a decade, a legendary band called the Ghostriders reigned on centre stage.

In the early 1960s some budding young rockers were dreaming of standing on centre stage at Warrnambool's celebrated Palais for just one night, playing their version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky". They were the Ghostriders, the rock 'n' rollers with boundless youthful energy and a passion for good times, who were to dominate Warrnambool's entertainment scene for beyond a decade. The Ghostriders' legend began in 1960 when four young friends - Billy Fish, 21, Barry Wickham, 21, Bob Dennis, 19, and Joe Willis, 17 - started to teach each other the guitar. With a Coles guitar manual which showed the basic chords and a couple of old Belini acoustic guitars, the guys started off on a legendary ride through the 60s.

Their dream gig at the Palais was to become true before the 1600-strong crowd they had always yearned for, but it wasn't for just one night - it lasted for years. The faces in the band changed from time to time, but the Ghostriders etched their place in Warrnambool's social and entertainment history.

Today, the surviving Ghostriders are parents, some are grandparents, aging face our community. Joe Willis, the baby of the Ghostriders as a 17 year old, is today a friendly face behind the counter at the Liebig Street Newsagency, a grandfather who is still struggling to officially retire from the entertainment scene.  He recalls the bands determination and persistence to make it in the competitive live band scene of the 1960s.

The original foursome were joined by Billy Brebner with his set of drums, and were practising as a band three nights a week. "At this time the Ross Lewis Jazz Band was playing at THE place to be, the Palais de Dance [sic], and Julie Hughson was a female vocalist. Julie's sister Maree had sung with here on a radio 3YB weekly program", Joe recalls. "The Hughson family in Timor was the home of rock 'n' roll, and it didn't matter what time of day or night, the record player was going full bore and the lounge-room was full of people rockin' and rollin' and jiving to Bill Haley and the crew". Maree then joined the band and the practises [sic] intensified. The line-up included Bill Brebner on drums, Bob Dennis on lead guitar, Joe Willis rhythm guitar and vocals, Billy Fish on bass guitar, Maree Hughson on piano and vocals and Barry Wickham on vocals.

Maree Hughson, Joe Willis and Leon Saunders in full voice.

Eight months later the band played its  first gig, a freebee, at the 21st birthday of a friend at Terang. "A crappy PA was hired and the band set off for a big night. Everyone was really impressed with the music which made the band feel pretty good, until, about 11 p.m. Being a hot night we went out the back of the hall to get a breath of fresh air. It was a very still night and across the way there was another hall and the most magic rendition of "Ghostriders in the sky" was wafting across the night air. After making a B-Line [sic] for the sound we discovered Gordon Gilham and the Electones. The band originated from Geelong and were [sic] one of the best rock 'n' roll bands we had ever heard. Gordon Gilham had lost the top of his index finger down to the first joint but he was a guitar maestro." Two years later Gordon Gilham was killed in a car accident returning  from playing at a dance at Cobden, but he had made a lasting impression on the young band. "Hearing the Electones was the best thing that happened to us because as we trudged back to finish our 21st, we realised a lot more work was needed if we were going to bring ourselves up to that standard", reflects Joe.

They persevered and the band learned a good rendition of "Ghostriders in the sky" - "but it didn't sound near as good as the Electones version". Their first paid gig - which earned the whole band six pounds - was at Port Fairy. "When asked for the name of the band for advertising purposes, Billy Fish just said the Ghostriders because by now the song was starting to sound a bit better". And so the Ghostriders came into being. By the end of 1961 rock 'n' roll was all the rage and the jazz band finished at the Palais, and the likes of the Electones moved in. The Ghostriders were building a following at Koroit, Crossley, Mortlake and districts and a new band member, Leon Saunders from Heywood, joined to replace Bob Dennis, while Bill Brebner moved to Melbourne and Gil Everard took over the drums.

The big break came in 1962 with that much-awaited call from the Palais. "Could we play the following Saturday night. The jazz band would return to take on the side stage and the Ghostriders would take over centre stage", Joe Willis recalls. "It was an unbelievable sight to see all those people rockin' the night away. The Palais was the place to meet on Saturday nights. Buses came from Port Fairy, Koroit, Mortlake, Camperdown and Terang". For the 2 years between 1962 and 1964 the band averaged five nights a week while the band members also held their full-time jobs. The composition of the band changed several  times. Gil Everard left, to be replaced by Graeme Saunders, along with his younger brother Leon, just 16 at the time. The Saunders brothers still play in top rock 'n' roll band Sound Advice. Another new arrival was Russell Henderson, who had been travelling Australia with the Buddy Williams show under the name of Rockin' Ricky Randall. He joined the Ghostriders after returning home to the family farm at Minhamite.

Russell Henderson (left) joined the Ghostriders after some time with the Buddy Williams Show. He is pictured with Bill Fish.

Beatlemania was in and the band was in great shape with four vocalists to do the harmonies required. The jazz band was replaced in 1962 with alternate bands the Rebs, The Ramblers and the Vampires, while the Ghostriders played centre stage. One single recording - "Ann" - and 2 television performances were made in the 10-years reign on centre stage of the Palais. The Ghostriders found they were in demand, with bookings from as far as Mt. Gambier, Ballarat, and Geelong. "All members in the band held down 40-hour a week full time jobs", Joe says. "Many a morning you would arrive back at the Palais to unload the gear after a gig about 4.30 am., grab a pie and a  bowl of soup at Bill's pie cart and head off for an hour or two sleep before work."

Return of the Ghostriders - the band regrouped briefly outside the old Palais building in Koroit Street for this photograph earlier this month. The musos include Joe Willis (left), Barry Wickham, Maree Hughson, Bill Fish, Graeme Saunders and Leon Saunders (front).

After a decade, the Palais' big dances closed, giving way to the emerging pub scene, which by now had extended trading hours. The band members went on to play the pub scene, changing its [sic] name to Red, until the sudden death of Russell. Twenty five years later, in 1993, the Ghostriders regrouped with Billy Fish, Barry Wickham, Leon Saunders, Graeme Saunders, Joe Willis, Maree Hughson and Neville Olson, who has since died, for a comeback at St. Pius Hall. Billy Fish, today a businessman who operates a Liebig St. shoe store, had retired after the Palais days and hadn't played the bass guitar for 25 years. Barry Wickham, now a Terang timber worker, hadn't performed regularly either. To a packed hall with standing room only, the crowd waited until nearly midnight before the band arrived on stage. Suddenly every light in the hall went out and the haunting rhythm introduction to Ghostriders in the sky started, and the old band was in full swing again. "Much to the disgust of the neighbours, for which we apologise, the band rocked the hall until 3.45 am", Joe reveals. It wasn't planned but another eight cabarets were held during the 3 year period until 1996 with St Pius, Emmanuel College, St John of God Hospital, and Brauer College all benefiting from these great nights. Joe Willis claims he officially retired from entertaining two years ago on New Years Eve, but couldn't resist the temptation for "just one more job" on  New Year's Eve to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium. He will be teaming up with friends out of his last band Limited Edition, a 60s through to the 90s rock 'n' roll band, to farewell a century of good times.
 
The Ghost Riders in 1964. L to R, Bill Fish, Leon Saunders, Gil Everard, Joe Willis, Maree Hughson and Ron Menz

 

Bill Fish

 

Ricky Henderson

 

Barry Wickham

 

Joe Willis

Reformed as "The sounds of the Ghost Riders" for the 2017 Rock the Clock Festivals (Leon Saunders on the left of the photo)

Link to audio file from ABC Radio 774 13th Nov 2020

 

Warrnambool Aus Music Festival suggests permanent stage for foreshore

Warrnambool Standard 16th June 2017 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2017 - by Matt Neal

SOUNDS OF THE SEA: Warrnambool Aus Music Festival committee members Rod Brugman and Russ Goodear have proposed a permanent stage be constructed along the foreshore. Picture: Rob Gunstone

A proposal for a permanent stage for music and community events on Warrnambool’s foreshore has been submitted to council. The idea comes from the Warrnambool Aus Music Festival committee, which pitched it as a community asset and potential “home base” for the festival. The stage is proposed to be built near the carnival site on Pertobe Road, adjacent to the Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club. Dubbed the Warrnambool Music Bowl, it was one of six submissions made on Warrnambool City Council’s 2017-2021 plan earlier this month, but was “not identified as a priority”. Cr Peter Hulin praised the idea, saying “young people would love that”. The council’s director of corporate strategies Peter Utri said that “given the nature of the project, the proposed location and the unknown cost of the proposal, it has been referred by council to the 2018-2019 budget process”. “Such a proposal would require extensive public consultation and an investigation into the cost and demand for such a structure,” Mr Utri said. “As part of the budget process, it will be judged against the many other potential projects seeking funding for the 2018-2019 financial year. While the idea of a permanent outdoor performing arts venue has been talked about in the community previously, this is the first time that a proposal such as this will be assessed by council.” Aus Music Festival director Russ Goodear said “a permanent, all-year-round, outdoor stage on the site of the seaside carnival” had plenty of applications, and the “foreshore/Lake Pertobe area is the ideal location”.  “This is a place where people gather for events, fun and relaxation (and) it is a ‘playground’ for children, youth and adults, and our tourists,” Goodear said. “This will provide a wonderful entertainment venue for the local community and tourists.” He said the stage could be used for a wide range of community events, including the Aus Musical Festival, markets, fun runs, fundraisers, youth concerts, Wunta, theatre performances and more. “The site has some of the required infrastructure, including toilets and power, (and) given this is not a residential area it is anticipated that noise levels will not be a major issue,” Goodear said. He said the Aus Music Festival was considering running a series of concerts on the site using a mobile stage to test the location. The festival is returning in a new format consisting of individual concerts spread across the year to help raise funds for a larger event in future years. The first event – a Back To The Bay gig – will be held next month.

Warrnambool's Aus Music Festival to return as concert series, starting with Back To The Bay

Warrnambool Standard 13th June 2017 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2017 - by Matt Neal

WARRNAMBOOL’S Aus Music Festival is returning in a new format.

The Motorvators

Organisers are shifting their focus to small one-off events with the aim of raising a war chest to fund a bigger festival in a year or two’s time. Festival director Russ Goodear said the first in “a series of financially and logistically manageable events in a range of local venues” will be a Back To The Bay concert on July 29 at the Lady Bay Resort.It will feature an acoustic concert headlined by Blue Heat’s Marco Goldsmith, a top Australian songs countdown by locally connected former 3UZ DJ John Vertigan, and a local music awards ceremony. As with the Back To The Bay concert that ran as part of the Aus Music Festival in 2015, the event aims to be a party celebrating south-west music and in particular the era of the old Lady Bay Hotel. The event will also serve as a fundraiser for the Aus Music Festival, Goodear said. “There were some really good things we learnt from the first festival (in 2015) and one of the things we learnt was that they’re very expensive and high risk,” he said. “To reduce that risk you need funding, so we thought a (way to do that) would be to run a series of fundraising concerts.” Goodear said the concert series would “build on the model we already have, but instead of doing all of them on one day, we would do them over a period of time”. The Back To The Bay concert was one of the great successes of the inaugural Aus Music Festival in 2015, and featured performances by The Monaros, Tex Perkins, and reunited rockers The Motorvators. Goodear said parts of the 2015 festival were a hit but others weren’t, and the organisers now viewed it as something of a practice run. “We put it out there (in 2015) and tried a lot of things and some things worked and some things didn’t work,” Goodear said. “We learnt from our experiences. We’ll learn from doing these one-off concerts too and what we learn will help us build towards our festival. “We’ve gone back to our motto of ‘better before bigger’.” He said there was a long list of possible themed concerts that could be run to help build the funding pool for a larger festival. They would celebrate women in music, local musicians and venues, or be centred on genres and musical themes, Goodear said.

Granny's Grave (Warrnambool band) Photos

 

John Maroniti, Eric Read and Prof. Walters - Granny's Grave at the Lady Bay 2001

 

Eric Read, Prof. Walters, Tim Netherway and John Maroniti - Granny's Grave at Proudfoots 1999    

 

Tim Netherway, Graeme Saunders, Prof. Walters and "Jack" McKinnon - Granny's Grave AKA Blind Tiger, around 1990.

 

Tim Netherway, Graeme Saunders, Prof. Walters and "Jack" McKinnon - Granny's Grave AKA Blind Tiger, around 1990.

Tim Netherway, Graeme Saunders, Prof. Walters and "Jack" McKinnon - Granny's Grave AKA Blind Tiger, around 1990.

 

Tim Netherway, Graeme Saunders, Prof. Walters and "Jack" McKinnon - Granny's Grave AKA Blind Tiger, around 1990.

 

Granny's Grave band 1980

Tim Netherway (guitar), Prof. Walters (bass), Eric Read (drums) and John Maroniti (guitar) - Granny's Grave around 1980.

 

This photo was taken at Prof Walters' 50th birthday at Mickey Bourke's Koroit Hotel on Dec. 7th 2003. Photo shows the Granny's Grave Band as John Maroniti, Tim Netherway, Prof Walters and Eric Read.

The Gents

 

The Gents at the Cally March 5th 2006 -- John Maroniti, Tim Netherway and Wayne Stewart

 

Eoin Cameron

 

At Koroit Show Feb 2016 - Tim Netherway, Eoin Cameron, Dennis Horan, Geoff Whyte

Radio station celebrates 10 years of making airwaves

Warrnambool Standard 11th Oct.  2000 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  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.

Lemonbait

Debut single in sight - Warrnambool Standard 2nd June 2017. ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2017
THEY may only be in their early 20s, but Sam Pyers and Declan Murphy have already been on a long musical journey. The pair started playing music together in primary school and are still belting out the tunes as part of alternative rock band Lemonbait. Bass player Noah Melis-Sharp is the other band member with Pyers on guitar and vocals and Murphy on drums. “Me and Declan started jamming in grade five or six and we formed Lemonbait in Year 8 or 9,” Pyers said. “It’s always been something we have enjoyed, it’s a good hobby.” Plans are in place for Lemonbait to extend its footprint. The band is working through the song choices for the creation of its debut album. Three years ago, the band recorded an EP while Pyers released a solo album under the name Sam S. Edward last year. Pyers said there will be no shortage of materiel for the album. “We have a lot of original songs built up over the last few years so it will be good to get them out there on an album,” Pyers said. “We have some newer songs we have written that will also be on the album. “It’s good with our live set, it’s all originals and we might throw in the odd cover to mix it up a bit.” It is the strong original set list that has made Lemonbait a popular live band in Warrnambool. On Saturday night, Lemonbait will be performing at the Dart & Marlin in Timor Street. They will share the bill with WOY and King Puppy and the Carnivore. Pyers said the emergence of Dart & Martin as a live music venue is good news. “It’s great to have another venue in town where bands can play original music,” Pyers said. “There are a lot of bands around Warrnambool at the moment so the music scene is in a good position.” Lemonbait will continue to ply its trade in Warrnambool and will be part of Arockalypse 2017 at The Loft on the June long weekend. The band is also looking to spread its wings further to do some more shows in Melbourne.

Heidi Gass

Songwriter can take a breather
Warrnambool Standard 5th September 2002 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2002

THREE years in the making, Heidi Gass’ first solo album, Room to Breathe has finally been released. The CD features work Gass wrote and recorded herself. At 25, Gass has been playing in bands for 10 years and has spent the past seven years writing the songs that feature on the album. This solo album has been a solitary journey for Gass who played all the instruments on the album herself except the drums. She had to record each instrument separately which made the recording process difficult, she said. "I didn’t know how it would sound until it was all recorded," she said. Playing guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and singing all the lead and backing vocals proved to be a challenge for this emerging musician and songwriter. Gass said playing all of the instrumental parts herself the came from necessity. "I have found it very hard to find people who have the same style as me and who gel with me musically," she said. "It has been a long process which began three years ago. ‘‘I started writing seven years ago and it has been a dream of mine for some time,’’ she said. "My music is hard to categorise as there are heavier songs and some nice piano songs. "I guess it is an acoustic set-up." Gass has studied keyboards since she was eight years old and has taught herself the rest. "It came naturally," she said. "I own all the instruments I play and I have a very big house with two music rooms." The CD was recorded at Motherload studio and will be launched at the Criterion Hotel in Warrnabool on September 20.

City act goes global : Award winner back from NZ
Warrnambool Standard 18th Sept. 2003 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2003.

WHEN Heidi Gass’ name was called out as the winner of two popular vote WAMI awards on Tuesday night, she was at home fast asleep, recovering from a recent flight from New Zealand. In fact, Gass didn’t know she’d won until yesterday morning when a congratulatory phone call alerted her to her successes in the best musical act and best album categories. “Someone rang up to congratulate me and I went What? what are you talking about?’,” she laughed. “I didn’t think anything of it I slept through the whole thing.” Gass admitted she was pretty surprised” about receiving the awards ahead of acts such as The Monaros, Ginjan and The Stumpjumpers. She jokingly put the win down to a lot of votes from family and friends. Wherever the votes came from, Gass had certainly earned them — her WAMI-winning album, the self-financed Room To Breathe, took about three years to put together, during which time the 26-year-old has built up a steady following with solo and band performances in Warrnambool and around the state. The awards cap off a successful couple of weeks for Gass — her New Zealand trip included her first overseas gig, at Wellington’s Indigo Bar. “It was fantastic — I got a really good response,” she said. “I’ve got a bit of a fan base over there. “A booking agent got hold of the CD and wanted me to do a tour of the whole country.” While a full tour wasn’t on the cards this time, she hoped to return to New Zealand next year with her whole band for a more extensive string of dates around the north and south islands. The singer-songwriter has been a part of Warrnambool’s music scene for almost a decade, playing with acts such as Mixbowl and The Hated as well as developing her solo repertoire. Gass said she planned to return to Motherlode Studios to record another album — that’s if she can fit it in between the three other side projects she’s trying to get off the ground. One of the projects was expected to pick up where the now-defunct metal act The Hated left off. “I’m moving house at the moment so I want to set up a band shed so I can get back into it. It’s just a matter of prioritising my time.”

WARRNAMBOOL musicians Heidi Gass and Mark Halliwell departed from the usual EP or album approach with their 2017 recording project and decided to release a single every three months or so. MARK  is a talented guitarist from Warrnambool has produced a number of solo CDs and has played in several bands including the Chosen Few, jazz nights at the Hotel Warrnambool and with Kayla Dwyer. In 2012  he put together a  prog rock studio-based project called Illuuminus which was two years in the making. Heidi is a local musician and music teacher. The two have collaborated regularly over the past 12 years but it has usually been as guests on each other’s projects. This new recording project was about being equal partners on each song.

The Warrnambool Gang

Transcribed by Michael Schack from information supplied by Dennis Taberner on 23rd August 2003 as background information to an LP recording "The Warrnambool Gang".

This album arose from the mutual love of folk music among a group of friends from Warrnambool. In 1966 a couple of students from the Diploma School of the Warrnambool Technical College (later to become Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education & Deakin University) started to learn guitar and take a keen interest in folk music (it was the sixties after all). A college engineering trip to the Gordon Institute introduced the lads to the five string banjo. Along with a couple of  friends, the "New Folk" were formed - Peter Lawlor, Shane O'Keefe, John Ferris and Dennis Taberner. Saturday nights saw the group having a quiet one in the "Town and Country Bar" at the Warrnambool Hotel with instruments and songs. The group made their own fun and the friends that gathered around to enjoy the music soon saw a ready willing to happen anywhere, with the songs carrying on after the 10 pm close. Pubs, flats, church socials, the original Gallery Club - now the Liquid Lounge - saw more songs and camaraderie. The New Folk sang at the inaugural Portland Trade Fair (support for Johnny Young, Judy Jacques and Lucky Starr) around 1967 or 1968, and the Warrnambool Gang crossed Western Victoria from Casterton to Horsham and as far north as Swan Hill. Gig currency was rarely folding and more usually liquid in jugs. The album was recorded in 1970 or 1971 in the upstairs area of the Western Hotel/Motel. Local audio wiz Bruce Henderson recorded the album on one Saturday afternoon The enthusiasm of the recordees was fueled by some of the house product as he afternoon progressed.  The New Folk were: Peter Lawlor (guitar, vocals), Shane O'Keefe (5 string banjo, vocals), John Ferris (bass, vocals) and Dennis Taberner (guitar, vocals) Mem & Tab were: Mem Benning (vocals), Dennis Taberner (guitar, vocals), John Dolman played 12 string guitar.

Album tracks: Reilly's daughter / The New Folk -- Bold O'Donohue / The New Folk -- Wreck of the old 97 / The New Folk -- Four green fields / Mem & Tab -- Turn around / Mem & Tab -- Flight of the bumble bee / John Dolman -- Malaguena / John Dolman -- Me & Bobby McGee / Pete Lawlor -- Gentle on my mind / Pete Lawlor -- Strangest dream / Assembled multitude -- Greenback dollar / Assembled multitude -- Brennan on the Moor / The New Folk.

Gallery gig has hot line-up

Warrnambool Standard 21st October 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1999.

THE Gallery will once again showcase the best of local talent, with three south-west bands on tonight's line-up. Grumpo will be performing a special blend of techno, tribal, jazz, rock and dance, followed by Timboon band No Exit, which will be playing covers of Living End, Frenzal Rhomb and Greenday. Crowd pleasers, Deal Wiff It, will wrap up the night.

Local bands go live at Gallery

Warrnambool Standard 17th June 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1999.

THE Gallery Nightclub is going live loud and local again this week with four original south-west bands plus solo entertainers. Headlining tonight’s gig is Threepwood, a south-west four-piece consisting of Harry Fahey on drums, Chris Wombwell on bass guitar, Brett McKinney on guitar and Simon Nuske on lead vocals. Threepwood have been playing gigs around Warrnambool for three years, including venues such as the Lady Bay Hotel and the Criterion. Tonight will be the band’s first appearance at the Gallery. Also in the line-up is three-piece original band Ridalin and Portland’s Ill Manner. A highlight of the night should be a full electric set from The Motorvators. Solo artists Nick Costa and Matt Neal will entertain the crowd with some acoustic numbers between sets. Prizes including drinks cards and vouchers will be handed out to lucky music fans at the door. Keep an eye out in a fortnight for the next Gallery live and local night, when Melbourne band Sex Bombs will take to the stage, with Portland band Cause & Effect, Cherry Swamp and local cover band Tarp.

New musicians given a hearing

Warrnambool Standard 18th March 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1999.

AN initiative to get local original musicians on stage in Warrnambool kicked off with a bang last week and promises to go from strength to strength. Last Thursday night’s gig at the Gallery night-club featured It’s Your Thing, Nutshell, The Motorvators and new-comers Post Alluvium. Organiser and Tafe music industry skills course coordinator Lyn Eales said the night,which is scheduled to become a fortnightly event, was extremely successful. Claire Hussey made her debut as It’s Your Thing’s newest member, the Motorvators played a full electric set and Paul Smith picked up the guitar to entertain the crowd between band sets. Ms Eales said the aim of the gigs is to provide a variety of music for the punters as well as giving emerging bands a chance to play supportslots. Former and present Tafe MIS students will be taking care of the technical side of things like sound mixing and lighting, and solo performers will be encouraged to take the stage during changeovers. The next event, scheduled for March 25, will feature Lee Morgan, No Exit and Mix Bowl, which is fresh from recording sessions at Motherlode studio.

Gala variety concert ... for the fire relief fund

Warrnambool Standard 28th February 1983 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1983.

People of all ages packed into Warrnambool's Capitol Theatre last night for the concert to raise money for victims of the Ash Wednesday fires. One of the stars of the concert was singer Colleen Hewett, whose hits have included "Day by day" and "Dreaming my dreams of you". With his deep baritone voice, Dennis Walter has come a long way from his days with "Young Talent Time". With matching outfits, Chantelle, a group of three sisters, blended well in looks and sound. Entertainer Maggie Britton really threw herself into her act. The Mod Squad band helped organise last night's concert.

Fun City - Warrnambool band

Poster advertising a New years Eve cabaret in 1996. Warrnambool band Fun City (featuring John Sycopoulis, Ronald Philp, Cheryl Philp and Tony Peel) performed.

Old rockers just keep rollin' on -- Matt Neal. Warrnambool Standard Dec. 29th 2001 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2001. 
A decade is a long time in music. For a band to stay together for that length of time, whether it plays original music or covers, it has to battle creative differences, personality clashes, ego wars and all the other tensions that have broken up thousands of bands throughout history. One group approaching its 10th birthday is Fun City, a covers band that has re­mained gloriously oblivious to such problems. Bassist and backing vocal­ist Tony Peel said that with no original music in the band and. a wealth of experience, Fun City doesn't have the in-fighting and creative differences that bedevil other bands. But another reason for Fun City's longevity is in its name - fun. Ron Philp (keyboards and vocals), his sister Cheryl Philp (vocals and percussion) and Peel appear to have kept the band together for a decade through the enjoyment they get in moving a crowd off their seats and on to the dance floor. Fun, it seems, is itself a core member of the band. Fun City played its first gig on New Year's Eve 1991, ringing in the new year at Rafferty's Tavern with fourth member drummer Johnny Sycopoulis, who left the band in 1996. Prior to forming, Ron was drumming for original and cover bands around town including The Motorvators. Cheryl was singing for cover band Night Owls, while Sycopoulis and Peel were both playing around town in various original groups such as The Feelers. Peel admitted that when Ron called with the offer of joining the group, he was reluctant. He was tiring of the local music scene. Eventually Ron talked him into it and the group got together to jam, practising intensely every night for nine days leading up to the gig. Ron described that first gig as 'nerve-racking', mostly because he was unaccustomed to not being behind a drum kit. "I was playing an instrument that wasn't my main instrument," he said of the keyboards. "I had three months to learn and no prior lessons. I literally took the booking (for the New Year's Eve gig) and thought, 'well, here we go'. With the help of some text books and a bit of self­education, Ron mastered the keyboard in time for the gig, beginning the career of one of Warrnambool's longest running cover bands. Over the years, Fun City has adapted its list of covers to suit its audience moving from old rock 'n' roll stuff to modern pop. Ron estimates the band can now play more than 200 songs from a range of eras and styles. When Johnny Sycopoulis left in 1996, due to personal commitments, the group was forced to adapt. The decision to not replace Sycopoulis and instead use a drum machine was difficult, Ron said, but it made it easier to follow the group's original ideal - to give the audience what they wanted and not what the band wanted to play. "When Johnny left, we had to look at which way we wanted to go. We could look for a drummer or I could write the drum patterns in and continue on that way," he said. "It's not that there were no drummers around, it's more that they had to accept the concept. "The concept of Fun City, right from the beginning was to have fun and entertain and play music people could dance to - songs with a great dance beat, regardless of style. "We wanted to cater for all functions and all people, not just us. We have a laugh to ourselves sometimes, here we are playing songs we personally may not like, but we play the songs because it's what's needed for the function. (That's) why Fun City has succeeded for 10 years." Peel agreed, saying "A lot of the songs we play aren't particularly our favourite songs but they're done for a reason and that's to get people on the dance floor. After years of playing original music in rock bands, it's good to be able to be guaranteed an audience that doesn't "just stand there", he adds. "It makes you feel more relaxed," he said. "If a song doesn't work on the dance floor it gets thrown out. Gone are the hassles, there's no stress," Peel said, likening his playing with Fun City to "my night out to hang with Ron and Cheryl". "I look forward to (each gig)," he adds, pointing out there have never been any bad Fun City gigs. The crowd always gets into the music, he said. Throughout the 1990s, the band entertained crowds regularly at the Lady Bay Hotel and Rafferty's Tavern, as well as playing at just about every other venue in town, as well as all sorts of functions around the south­west. To not have a single bad gig in all that time and all those venues is testament to the group's ability to work a crowd. This New Year's Eve will be the band's 10th anniversary, a perfect occasion to release a CD, Ron said. "For the last five years people have been asking for a CD," he said, adding work commitments and time constraints had gotten in the way in the past. "We put it on the backburner, but 10 years is the right time. It's to show our appreciation to the people who come to our gigs, but it's also for ourselves." The eponymous debut contains 13 covers, ranging from Tom Jones and John Farnham to old rock 'n' roll songs and even KC and the Sunshine Band. Peel said they asked for audience assistance to help them pick 13 songs from a playlist of over 200. "Over the last six months we had made people aware that we were doing an album and asking them to give us an idea of what they would want to hear on it," he said. The CD will be launched at the St Pius Hall at 8.30pm, with the band ringing in the New Year at midnight, just like at their first gig 10 years ago.

Entertainment for the young is full on

Warrnambool Standard 29th July 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1999.

EVENTS for young people in the south-west are few and far between, but a Warrnambool couple intends for that to change. John and Annette Norman will run their second Full On Tour in Warrnambool this Saturday night, featuring a number of alternative bands from Victoria and interstate, including Seraphs Coal, Petrol Money and local band Empty Tomb. The tour follows on from its success in the city in February which attracted crowds of almost 400 people across the region.Mr Norman said there was a lack of entertainment for young people in the region and the tour provided an ideal night out for people of all ages. He said the tour also spread a Christian message, but the event was not aimed to “stick religion down people’s, throats”. “The one we had in February was really popular — we’d be hoping to run this about three to four times a year if we can get it off the ground,” he said. “This music relates to the youth and they are Christian bands that will be playing — they have a strong message.” The Full on Tour will be held in Geelong on Friday night before making its way to Warrnambool. The Warrnambool event will kick-off at 7.30pm at the Temperance Hall.

Where jazz goes down well

Warrnambool Standard 21st July 2001  ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2001.

FANS of Warrnambool jazz combo the Frisky Go Cats can regularly enjoy its performances now the band has secured a spot at the city's new venue, the Basement at Images. Wednesday nights at the Basement will be shared by Wax Lyrical  the Australian Songwriters Association's Open Stage Nights  and the Frisky Go Cats. The venue opened last night and is a comfortable underground room with an intimate old fashioned club atmosphere, perfect for jazz. A Wax Lyrical session kick-started the opening and the Frisky Go Cats will follow that from next Wednesday, with guest guitarist John Hudson. Alternating weekly, the two varied shows are sure to keep southwest audiences entertained for months. The Frisky Go Cats trio, which was formed last Au gust, includes Matt Hewson on tenor and soprano saxophone, Ruben Shannon on electric and double bass and vocals and Jon Emry on drums and percussion. All three play jazz with a fresh edge of contemporary funk, fusion and improvisation. The regular gig at Images will give the band an opportunity to workshop new material and extend its catalog of live recordings. '

Freeza's hot acts

Warrnambool Standard 2nd Feb. 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2006.

 

Troubled Minds
Josh Taylor (centre) and Sean McKinnon (right) from Troubled Minds who will play the Freeza gig

TOMORROW night’s Freeza gig in Warrnambool will not only give under-age punters a healthy dose of rock, but it will mark the start of a big 2006 for the bands on the bill. Troubled Minds, Cashdog, Mourning Of The Earth and SS Radio will take to the stage from 8pm. Troubled Minds, comprising Port Campbell-Nirranda lads, had a big 2005, picking up a buzz with its Melbourne gigs, attracting the attention of a number of music publications and playing at the PushOver Festival at Luna Park. The hard-rock trio — which comprises frontman Josh Taylor and the McKinnon brothers in the rhythm section —is expected to return to Melbourne for more gigs this year, but not before headling the inaugural Port Campbell Music Festival in March. Cashdog has had its current line-up in order for just over a year and has achieved plenty, despite all members being in their teens. The Timboon district rock ’n’ roll five-piece enjoyed support slots with Shihad, Antiskeptic, After The Fall and Kisschasy, and gigs in Apollo Bay, Geelong and Maryborough. This year could be even bigger, with Cashdog looking to release an EP later this year. Tomorrow night’s Freeza gig makes the Warrnambool debut of ex-Gramps members Jordan Lockett and Joel Coxall’s new group Mourning Of The Earth which features the guitar and vocal talents of Franky (that’s the only name he gives). Lockett said the band planned to work with fellow former Gramps man Gus Franklin to do some recording later this year. Warrnambool two-piece SS Radio will kick off the night with its raw rock ’n’ roll sound. Frontman Daniel Kirk said he and drummer Nathan Leitch intended to record more and do more gigs around the region this year. Doors open on the Freeza gig, Storm Warning, at the civic hall at 7.30pm.

Folkie had something to please everybody

Warrnambool Standard 8th March 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1999.

There must be something wrong with a person who couldn't find something to enjoy at the Port Fairy Folk Festival, according to musical director Jamie McKew. Such a person would have been impossible to find over the weekend, because the variety of entertainment was astounding. From clowns in the children's folk circus to comedy on the main stage, buskers in the streets and rousing rhythms in the Guinness tent, no one could complain there wasn't something that appealed to them. The only challenge was trying to fit it all in, which was a difficult task considering 570 artists were performing at more than 20 venues. Some of the festival's most popular acts included Irish band Kila, whose wildly energetic celtic sound had people dancing in the aisles of tents during its performances. The Guinness tent and wine bar hosted some of the most lively sessions, with audiences forsaking their folding chairs to get up and rock with bands like the Pheasant Pluckers and the Gundaguys. In the smaller tents, listeners were lucky to sit in on more intimate sessions with extraordinary performers like Tibetan musician Tenzing Tsweang and American folk legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott. South West bands such as Hot Tamale Baby, Tukan Sam, and Slap 'N' the Cats showed the locals could mix it with the best of the festival, while organisers proved yet again that you won't find a better musical spread at any other event in Australia.

 

Slap 'n' the Cats in the Lighthouse Cafe - Port Fairy Folk Festival 1999