South West Music Archive

Monday, September 11, 2017

Musical star on the rise

Jackson McLaren -- DESPITE being just 17, Mailors Flat singer-songwriter Jackson McLaren is the south-west's latest rising star.

McLaren has been offered a recording, management and publishing deal with the company co-managed by Gregg Donovan, who helps look after the careers of Grinspoon, Airbourne and ARIA winner Josh Pyke. Pyke also looks likely to produce McLaren's first EP and McLaren will travel to Melbourne and Sydney to support the Sydney singer-songwriter at two big gigs to promote Pyke's new album. ``These will be my first shows out of Warrnambool,'' he said. McLaren first caught Pyke's ear when McLaren supported the ARIA-winner at The Loft in Warrnambool earlier this year. ``I guess he took a keen interest in what I was doing and he contacted his manager,'' McLaren said. ``And then a few weeks later... Gregg Donovan called to arrange a meeting and I thought `whoah, that's pretty cool'.''McLaren travelled to Melbourne to perform a few songs for Donovan and his team and soon after he received a contract offer via email. He's running them by lawyers before signing on the dotted line. McLaren said he was excited about supporting Pyke at the Metro in Sydney and the Prince Of Wales in Melbourne in September. McLaren said his parents, who were both musicians, had been very supportive and that he owed a debt of gratitude to The Loft manager Ben Russell. ``Ben has just been awesome, letting me up there to support acts that are renowned Australia-wide,'' he said. ``Without that, no one would know about me.'' Jackson is continuing to play with his Warrnambool band The Roaring 40s, which suffered a setback last weekend when guitars were stolen from a rehearsal space. Police are investigating.

Warrnambool Standard April 30th 2009 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2009. All rights reserved
FORMER Mailors Flat singersongwriter Jackson McLaren continues to go from strength to strength and Triple J are finally paying attention. Farewell This House, from his forthcoming EP recorded by Josh Pyke, has been aired on Aussie music show Home & Hosed on Triple J. McLaren recently played the Essential Festival in Sydney alongside the likes of Dappled Cities, Theredsunband, Young & Restless, The Scare, Cloud Control, Spod, The Jezabels, and Andy Clockwise.

McLaren's big gigs -- Warrnambool Standard April 23, 2009 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2009. All rights reserved
FORMER Mailors Flat talent Jackson McLaren has been a busy boy since moving to Melbourne. He's currently playing a month-long residency at the Wesley Anne in Melbourne and has been added to the line-up for the Essential Festival in Sydney this weekend. McLaren has also scored a spot supporting Angie Hart (formerly of Frente) at the Sandringham Hotel in Sydney next month.

Time to hit the deck

Its Your Thing

Warrnambool's Mahogany Ship Restaurant is advising its patrons to hit the deck this weekend. The restaurant will showcase some of Warrnambool's newest original bands over four nights this week at "The Deck", a room revamped to host bands. Scott Thwaites has overseen the simple yet effective revamp of the room, which incorporates adding a seaside mural as a backdrop to bands, when the stunning view out onto the beach is clouded by the night.. Bands featured at the "Deck" this week inlcude the Hoovermatics tonight, Its your thing (pictured) tomorrow night, Jeff Lang plus the Rugcutters on Saturday and Lost In Suburbia on Sunday.

South West Vic Musicians involved in Irish music

Barry Lowther

Tony Beks (dec.)

Behind the Mike

Caoilte O'Suilleabhain

Colin O'Keeffe

Henk De Groot

Dennis Taberner (dec.)

Dennis O'Keeffe (dec.)

Don King

Don Stewart

Felix Meagher

Tony Harrigan

Session

Joan Woof

Jim O'Keeffe

Ciaran Keegan

Leamon Chambers

Lex Paton

Michael Morgan

The O'Toole Kit

Rob Graff

Rafferty's Rules

Ian Chambers

Session

Brett Holbrook

Slainte

Tommy Carty

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Showing How to do it

This article was written by Anthony Brady and published in the Warrnambool Standard on Friday 8th September 2017.

WHEN it comes to rocking the socks off live venues in Warrnambool, few people know how to do it better than Nick How.Tonight, How will be playing bass and providing lead vocals for his four-piece band GinJan. He will be joined on stage by guitarists Darren Ely and Dale Pfeiffer with Chris Trask on drums. GinJan will be one of three acts on stage. Also on the bill will be Ballarat punk rock band The Shorts and emerging Warrnambool punk line-up Diving Headbutts. How is a veteran of the Warrnambool music scene, having shot to prominence with classic pub rock band The Motorvators.During the 1980s, The Motorvators were a leading player on what was a thriving live music landscape in the south-west.How remembers the halcyon days fondly. “It was a great time, we had a nice little circuit happening,” How said. “We played a lot in Warrnambool but also all around the state and into South Australia.” How said the lack of live music venues in Warrnambool now made it hard for emerging bands to showcase their work. “The Loft is great and we have played some gigs at The Whalers but it’s pretty limited,” How said. “I feel sorry for the young bands. When I tell them The Motorvators used to play from Wednesday night right through to Sunday some weeks they don’t believe it. “There is nothing like playing live, it gives you a great chance to build an audience.” GinJan formed in 2002 and released their debut album, Off With My Head, in 2003. With band members scattered across the state, the band has not had the chance to get back in the recording. But How hopes that will change with a new record penciled in for next year. “After I left The Motorvators in 1998, I kept writing songs so I had 15 songs ready to go for the first GinJan album,” he said. “Our sound is similar to The Motorvators, that classic Aussie pub rock. We do mostly originals with the odd cover thrown in".

BELT IT OUT: Nick How out front of GinJan. The Warrnambool band will play at The Loft tonight (8th Sept. 2017) along with The Shorts and Diving Headbutt.

Hank tribute on again

Published in The Warrnambool Standard Friday 8th September 2017.

PLANS are well underway for one of the biggest nights on the Warrnambool music calendar.The Hank Williams Tribute Night will be held at City Memorial Bowls Club on Thursday, September 21. The night will include performances from south-west musicians playing their favourite Hank Williams song.The theme this year is ‘Howlin' at the moon’. The night is a fundraiser for 3WAY-FM.