The Aftermath

The Aftermath, a band in Hamilton in the 1960s. 

Adlib

City stage offered to bands

By Glen Bernoth and Matt Neal. Warrnambool Standard 18th Oct. 2005 - 

Musicians such as Ryan Hegarty (left), Erin Jellie, Brenton Smith and Tom Richardson are being encouraged to use the Civic Green stage. (Photo by Glen Watson)
BUDDING bands would play on Warrnambool's Civic Green stage free of charge over summer under a plan one councillor has put on the city's agenda.
Cr David Atkinson said the stage was grossly under-used.
He said young entertainers would potentially add to the city's festive summer holiday environment and might be discovered for their talents in the process.
"This would promote greater use of the Civic Green over the summer months, but more importantly give young groups a chance to play in public and get some exposure," he said.
"It would have to be on a voluntary basis. Power is there and its cost would be negligible, but even if it wasn't it would be a pretty cheap investment by council.

"I'd love to see bands book a time with council and play for an hour or two. No one is going to chase them, I'd just like it to be made available. I hope they take advantage and encourage people to come down in their lunch break and be entertained."
Brauer College-based musicians Brenton Smith, Tom Richardson, Erin Jellie and Ryan Hegarty - who have played under the name Ad Lib - said they would appreciate the opportunity to perform at the Civic Green.
Smith said if the council promoted gigs on the green they would be better for the bands and could help attract more people to the area.
"We'd be interested (but) we've done a few gigs there and not many people turn up," he said.
Smith agreed there were few opportunities for under-age bands to perform.
Brauer College director of music Manfred Pohlenz said the idea could be developed further.
"We've got our own soul band, a number of rock bands and other groups that could play at a venue like that and that would be fantastic," he said.
"But I also know how disappointing it can be when kids work themselves up and then perform to a small crowd of people - there would have to be a means to promote it.
"Maybe there could be a series of concerts.
"Busking works most successfully when performers interact with shoppers and people mulling by and I suspect the Civic Green might be a bit too removed from that. In concept it is a terrific idea - maybe it could be marketed as a buskers' corner."
Warrnambool College music director Alisa Bowring said she also supported Cr Atkinson's suggestion.

Teens win national crown

Warrnambool Standard 9th Feb. 2004 - 

A RECENTLY formed band of teenagers scooped the pool at Saturday's Mortlake Buskers Festival to be named Australian Busking Champions.

Warrnambool rock covers group Ad Lib has been playing together for about four months and comprises 16-year-olds Tom Richardson (guitar), Brenton Gillies (bass), Brenton Smith (drums) and 15-year-olds Erin Jellie (vocals) and Ross Beaton (sax/guitar /vocals).

Richardson said the band members were dumbstruck to learn they had been judged the festival's best performers after the category winners' play-off.

"We didn't realise we'd won," he said.

"We were standing there waiting to hear who had won it and a guy came up and said `congratulations'.

"We just thought he was congratulating us about the junior group win. When we realised we'd won, I don't think any of us spoke for about 10 seconds."

Winning the grand prize and the junior group section netted the five-piece $1200 and 16 hours of recording time.

Richardson said the band would spend the money on either putting an album together or buying equipment for gigs.

"Hopefully we'll get a few more gigs and hopefully we'll get invited back to play," he said.

Festival committee chairman Tony Phillips said the judges were impressed with the way the band played together, which belied its youth.

"They were able to get it all together as if they've been doing it for a long time," Mr Phillips said.

Warrnambool Standard article on Koroit Irish Festival 2014

Music, fun and games with an Irish lilt

By EVERARD HIMMELREICH

April 26, 2014, 

THE Koroit Irish Festival will reach full voice today with a wealth of musicians set to treat crowds to a good old Irish ‘craic’.

Singer-songwriter and Australian Idol star Damien Leith is the festival headline act and will perform late this afternoon.

Another to appear on the five indoor and outdoor stages that will be buzzing with music throughout the day is Geelong singer-songwriter Imogen Brough, who has appeared on TV talent show The Voice.

Today’s entertainment also includes the annual Danny Boy championship final, before which the festival’s inaugural artist of the year award winners, Tommy, Tuddy and Mick will be presented to the crowd.

The popular Koroit-based trio of Tommy Brooks, Frank “Tuddy” Bowman and Mick Morgan have been performing for decades in the south-west and will do so again at several performances at this year’s festival.

The big list of festival events today includes the Beks Bowman Emerging Talent competition, spud picking and peeling championships and a kids’ activities area. 

Festival committee member Leon Carey said festival tickets were selling well and between 3000-5000 people were expected to flow through Koroit today.

The festival kicked off yesterday in true Irish style with a jam session and lots of jokes and banter.

Mr Carey said more than 60 people attended the Irish festival jam session at the Koroit Scout Hall with no shortage of participating musicians.

Up to 400 people were expected to attend the light-hearted Great Irish Australian Quiz Show last night at Koroit Theatre.

The Irish-based quiz has a format similar to the ABC TV’s Spicks and Specks and had Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, The Standard’s editor-in-chief Steve Kelly and singer Imogen Brough among the panellists.

Also on the panels were performer Maria Forde, dairy industry figure Phil Keegan and South West Community Foundation board member Bernadette Northeast.

The festival entertainment continues tomorrow with the highlights to include a Gaelic football match at Victoria Park between the Melbourne Sinn Fein Ladies team and the Koroit All Stars, with the latter side comprising former Koroit footballers.

Irishman Martin Ruane from Mayo and Leamon Chambers from Koroit helped get the Koroit Irish Festival off to a melodic start yesterday with a session at the town’s scout hall.

Warrnambool S y m p h o n y Orchestra’s annual Mother’s Day concert

Warrnambool Standard 8th May 2014 - Classics feature treat for mums
WARRNAMBOOL S y m p h o n y Orchestra’s annual Mother’s Day concert returns on Sunday and will see a guest conductor and three up-and-coming  conductors wielding the baton. The seventh annual event takes place at St Joseph’s Church in Warrnambool from 2.30pm and features a program including works  by Tchaikovsky, Handel, Vaughan Williams, Strauss, Mozart, Lerner & Loewe and Leroy Anderson. Hamilton’s Angus Christie will again be principal guest conductor, but he will share the lectern and baton with Dominic Dwyer, Melodee Herbert and Laura Thompson. Christie has been training the three young conductors as part of a tuition program aimed at building a local pool of conductors to help ensure the future of instrumental ensembles, such as the Warrnambool Symphony Orchestra (WSO), in the region. As well as working with the young conductors, Christie had selected  “a varied program of music that will have wide appeal”, WSO president John MacInnes said. Soloists on the bill include soprano Elspeth
Bawden, flautist Bethany Gillie, saxophonist Dominic Dwyer and Anne Kristen Christie. Tickets for the Mother’s Day concert can be purchased at the door or from Collins Booksellers and Dale Cleves Music.

GIG GUIDE 8TH MAY 2014

THURSDAY 8TH MAY 2014
Mitch Crute: Seanchai, Warrnambool
In Full Swing with Dwyer & Hocking: Hotel Warrnambool
FRIDAY 9TH MAY 2014
My Echo, The Alamo: The Loft, Warrnambool
Alfa Tides: Seanchai
Ben Cross: Whalers Hotel,Warrnambool
Jason Bull: The Stump, Port Fairy
The Average Band: Victoria Hotel,
Warrnambool
SATURDAY
Jack Jack Jack: The Loft
Michelle’s Velocity: Whalers Hotel
My Other Brother: The Stump
The Average Band: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Russ Goodear Band: Mt Noorat Hotel
Relle Jasper: Victoria Hotel, Port Fairy
SUNDAY
Boy & Bear: Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool
A Man Called Son, Ebonie Hyland: The Loft
Acoustic Al (Arvo): Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Rusty Bucks (morning): Lake Pertobe, Warrnambool
Rusty Bucks (arvo): The Stump
Kayla Dwyer (arvo): Hotel
Warrnambool
TUESDAY
Louis Helmsley: Cally Hotel,Warrnambool
WEDNESDAY
Ernie Sigley (morning): Lighthouse

Koroit Irish Festival photos 2014 (April 26th)

Gig guide Warrnambool 24th April 2014

THURS
Tabasco Jazz: Hotel Warrnambool.
Jason Bull: The Whalers, Warrnambool
FRI
Louie Clancey Band - Star of the West
Bec and the Big River Trio, Kirkstall Hotel
Louis Helmsley: Vic Hotel, Warrnambool
Old Melbourne Road: Commercial Hotel, Koroit.
Christou: The Whalers, Warrnambool
Nancie Schipper, The Last Coach, Warrnambool
SATURDAY
Louie Clancey Band - Stump
Rusty Bucks Band: Micky Bourkes, Koroit
All-day entertainment: Commercial Hotel, Koroit
Bec and the Big River Trio (night): Commercial Hotel, Koroit
Luke Willnko: Vic Hotel, Warrnambool
Barely Wayne: Vic Hotel, Port Fairy
Alfa Tides & Evarign: The Whalers, Warrnambool
SUNDAY
Big Love (arvo): Vic Hotel, Warrnambool
Lost in Suburbia - Hotel Warrnambool
TUESDAY
Loose Cannons: Royal Hotel, Warrnambool
WEDNESDAY
Rusty Bucks Band: Micky Bourkes, Koroit
Segamas & Evarign: The Whalers, Warrnambool
Loose Cannons: Royal Hotel,Warrnambool
THURSDAY
Alfa Tides & Evarign: The Whalers, Warrnambool
Loose Cannons: Royal Hotel,

Warrnambool region gig guide for Easter 2014

Thursday 17th April 2014
Caravana Sun, Jay Hoad: The Loft, Warrnambool
Ben Cross: Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool

FRIDAY 18TH APRIL
Hug Therapy, Max Goes To Hollywood: The Loft
Richard Tankard: ClubWarrnambool
Nick Howe: Victoria Hotel, Port Fairy

SATURDAY
Calling All Cars, TheLove Junkies, The Sinking Teeth: The Loft
Jason Bull: Whalers Hotel
The Hemingways: Victoria Hotel,Warrnambool
Nick Fletcher: Victoria Hotel, Port Fairy

SUNDAY
Acoustic Al: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Whisky River (arvo): City Memorial Bowls Club, Warrnambool
Rusty Bucks (arvo): Hotel Warrnambool
Barely Wayne: Victoria Hotel, Port Fairy

TUESDAY
Richard Tankard: Cally

Zuzu Angel

Zuzu Angel enjoys Unearthed resurgence - THURSDAY, April 17, 2014 The Warrnambool Standard

ZUZU Angel have returned to the Unearthed charts, taking on sole representation of south-west artists. Bands with south-west connections featured prominently in the Unearthed charts last month, with positions in the top 100 taken by Buddha in a Chocolate Box, Sons of May, Silverkane and Verema. With each now dropping out, it is Zuzu Angel, including former Port Fairy musician Jordan Lockett, enjoying chart success with recent releases Rio and Serial Killer sitting at 89 and 96 respectively. The rock-pop songs last week had a resurgence on Unearthed after their initial release months earlier. 2014 has been a busy year already for the Melbourne based band, launching its self-titled EP in early February and recording a summer single a few weeks later. Last month Zuzu Angel were set to play alongside Nine Inch Nails and The Hives at the Silverlake Music Festival in Thailand, but the festival was cancelled due to civil unrest. Punters finding themselves in Melbourne on June 21 can catch up with the band at the Rock N Load festival at The Espy, performing with Ten Thousand, MyEcho, Tumbleweed, Sun God Replica
and The Morrisons.

Ian Bidge Boyd @ Commercial Hotel Koroit

Wednesday 9th of April 2014 saw Ian "Bidge" Boyd perform as support act for Vanessa Lea at the Commercial Hotel Koroit. His set included some country classics such as "Good Hearted Woman" and "In a town this size" (the Keiran Kane song also recorded by John Prine).

Gig guide Warrnambool area 10th April 2014

THURS
Eales, Hewson, Tankard, Conlan, Emry: Hotel Warrnambool

FRI
The Infants, King Evil: The Loft,Warrnambool
The Bracelets: Victoria Hotel,Warrnambool
Maton Season: Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool
Nick How: Kirkstall Hotel
Louie Clancey Band - Star of the West

SATURDAY
The Fire Alive, The Residual, Jordan Riddle: The Loft
Michelle’s Velocity: Whalers Hotel
Louis Helmsley: Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool

SUNDAY
Big Love (arvo): Victoria Hotel, Warrnambool
Louie Clancey Band: Hotel Warrnambool

TUESDAY
Keira: Cally Hotel, Warrnambool

New album for Blue Heat - Warrnambool Standard April 10th 2014

New album for Blue Heat - Warrnambool Standard April 10th 2014
LOCAL blues legends Blue Heat are midway through post-production on their first album in almost 20 years. Late last month the five-piece outfit recorded 10 songs live in 24 hours at the Big Red Shed in Nirranda. Renowned Blue Heat guitarist Marco Goldsmith used Sutcliffe Guitars, an Epiphone Casino and his trademark 65 L Series Strat, as well as hand-wired Quantrelle valve amps on all the tunes, according to manager Robert Quantrelle. “The new album is classic Blue Heat with a few surprises thrown in for good measure,” he said. “We are currently editing the last tunes on Pro-Tools, then it will be ready for mixing. We are excited by the results so far and about prospects for the future.” Quantrelle thanked Brad Harrison and his family for the recording location along with producer Brenton Smith for working on the mix.