The Haze Magazine #15 - Spring 2018

FREE COPY! Issue 15, Spring 2018 Blue Mountains • Penrith • Lithgow • Orange • Hawkesbury

HUM UMB RA...

o u D c i n o r t c Ele Launch Twin Singles

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LET'S GO, LITHGOW

FOLKIN' AROUND

PENRITH BEEFS UP

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ANIME INSPIRATION

LAST ARK FILMING

15-24 NOV 7.30PM 17 NOV 2PM

YELLOW YELLOW SOMETIMES BLUE

Q THEATRE INSPIRED BY THE HISTORY OF PENRITH REGIONAL GALLERY & THE LEWERS BEQUEST The year finishes up with art, intrigue and some spectacular canapés in a brand-new play mixing stories, politics and drinks for a raucous party of modernist mischief…

TICKETS OR, STANDARD $55 | CONCESSION $50 | UNDER 30s $30 Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre 597 High Street Penrith NSW 2750

Produced by Q Theatre

WHAT’S ON

When Metallica invited an orchestra along for the S&M concerts it was an unexpected mix as profound as peanut butter and honey together on toast. Bathurst's BMEC is about to enjoy something simlar as activist and hip hop master L-Fresh the Lion brings his thought-provoking lyricism alongside The Mitchell Chamber Orchestra.

Zale Seck Band from Senegal are sailing in for a rhythm check at Lawson Mechanics Institute in November for performance and drumming/dance workshops.

Zale's particular style, mbalax dagou, is inspired from mbalax, the popular music of Senegal. His success crossed over Senegalese borders and he toured extensively throughout Europe as an independent artist and now lives in Montreal.

Tex Headed West for Gearin Show

The Roxy Room at Katoomba’s Hotel Gearin has played host to a plethora of incredible acts since it’s re-opening in January this year, including The Black Sorrows, The Preatures, Mental As Anything, Follakzoid, Stereogamous, Red Bee and three sold-out shows by local hip-hop legends Thundamentals. Live music events such as Bloomin’ Heck, Fusion Boutique and more see new life being breathed into the local live music scene, presenting opportunities for local bands to showcase their talent. Not to mention rekindling the Blue Mountain’s electronic music scene with regular events such as Jack City, Bassment, Echo Point Sound System and The Lost World catering to a wide range of tastes. But the fresh-faced venue is just ramping up, announcing an amazing line-up for Spring, including appearances by Tex Perkins, Mojo Juju, Tijuana Cartel, Kallidad & Band Of Dawn, Dallas Crane and the legendary Todd Rundgren (USA). Monthly club events such as popular Trap/Bass night ‘Jack City’, House music party ‘Bassment’ and Dub/Reggae event ‘Echo Point Sound System’ will continue to bring the goods, including touring national and international EDM artists. @hotelgearin

Superjesus Down Again

Twenty years on from their platinum selling album Sumo hitting number two on the ARIA Chart, The Superjesus are back with an anniversary edition of their celebrated 1998 debut and live show at Penrith's Tattersalls Hotel, Oct 20.

Paperhill Recording

Mountains fidget spinner aficionados and love grungers Paperhill were spotted camping at Katoomba's Junction 142 (the new home of Toolo btw) fleshing out an upcoming release, expect it later this year.

Pic snapped by Aidan Jaros Grilli.

The Haze Magazine  Froma Lane, Katoomba  team@thehazemag.com.au   @thehazemag  0468 477 468 Editorial: Willem Hendriksen, Corin Shearston, Mark Alston, Jack Bowden, Patrick Coomey, Mathew Currey, Paul Young, Caleb Marshall, Tom Hutchinson, Roger Kidd, Marco Grilli Design: Designheroes.com.au, Mark Alston, Daniel Jackson Online: Elissa Jamieson, Jessie Willis Photos: Brigitte Grant, Lona Logan, Pat Bowden, Aidan Jaros Grilli, Brad Diedrich, David Tobin Cover Photo: Mellen Burns Contributors & Distributors: Charity Mirow, Meg Benson, Chris Cannell, David Alston Admin: Samantha Alston, Jeanie Rosebug Advertisers: Thank you!

Published by: DesignHeroes.com.au

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© Copyright 2018

www.TheHazeMag.com.au

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

WHAT’S ON

Emu Plains on a Plate Inspired by the history of Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest, Yellow Yellow Sometimes Blue peers through the eyes of ‘the help,’ to offer a fresh take on Emu Plains in the 1950s.

Playwright, poet and author Noëlle Janaczewska is busy developing the show as we speak.

“The starting premise was looking at the work and artistic milieu of Margo and Gerald Lewers at the Emu Plains homestead they set up on the banks of the Nepean River, and more broadly the modernist movement in Australia,” she says.

“I’ve done a lot of archival research over the years, so I already had a fair grasp of post World War II society.

How the refugees and migrants who came here from Europe in the years after the war changed the cultural landscape. But the critical hostility meted out to Modernist artists surprised me.”

She says Gerald and Margo Lewers threw fabulous parties. Their artistic gatherings were colourful, lively and would last into the small hours.

"My main challenge as a writer was finding dramatic momentum, I decided to set the play in the kitchen—an inherently action-filled space—and have created two fictional characters, Iris and Leo, the ‘help’, who are preparing food for the party taking place in the next room.”

With promo depicting some spectacular canapes (go back and look at the pineapple) you're in for a theatrical feast.

On this November at the Q Theatre, tickets through The Joan.

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Revel in Refurb With Risque Review

Formerly known for its nightclub vibe, Katoomba's enchanted entertainment space Baroque has been closed for major refurb. The Carrington crew are enhancing the building's art nouveau styling with leadlight windows, bringing the stage up and out, sweetening the sound system and burrowing the backstage area. The driveway entrance will be embraced as the official way in making all-ages a possibility too. Little birds tell us the focus will be on cabaret, theatre, film, live music and of course dancing with the official re-opening September 28 & 29 hosting Risque Review (cabaret from Sydney - think Moulin Rouge, pictured) and On the Stoop (live gypsy/swing music).

Sight for Saw Eyes

Katoomba pop-punk patriarchs Madam Fatale took to their socials recently with some pitter-patter depicting Josh's bare belly: "So excited to announce that we're pregnant with our first music video!"

Fingers crossed the delivery is swift and painless, and can only hope that it comes out feet-first kicking and screaming like punk rock should.

Lior Gets Intimate

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's that man, oh it's Lior! Heading back to Springwood for a solo show in late November, Lior will bring some magical moments from his latest album Between You and Me.

After a magnificent concert program at the Blue Mountains Theatre in 2016, the acclaimed Evergreen Ensemble returns to present their stunning new concert of baroque and folk music entitled Snow in Summer this October. Evergreen Ensemble pays homage to the music of the windswept landscapes of the Scottish Highlands and Isles, as well as exploring their Scandinavian ties.

The Foggy 5

1. Dragon "Universal Radio" (1974)

2. Masters of Reality "self-titled" (1988)

3. Madder Lake "Butterfly Farm" (1974) 4. Palace of the King "Get Right With Your Maker" (2018) 5. Ray Fenwick "Keep America Beautiful, Get a Haircut" (1971)

Vinyl Available at Velvet Fog Katoomba

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

WHAT’S ON

Scottish folk Alan Reid & Rob van Sante present an evening of old and new music, featuring Alan's compositions, Battlefield Band favourites and songs from Rob. With guests Wombats Crossing you can Allanthe Reid (charity) catch Celtic chaos at Metro Social 28 September.

Mama Kin Spender have been flat chat since the release of their album ‘Golden Magnetic’ in February 2018, mamakin cramming in a national album launch run amidst shows at Perth Festival, WOMADelaide, Summersalt, Nannup Festival. Fresh off the back of their USA, Canadian and Irish tours, Mama Kin Spender will be rounding off 2018 with some Australian festivals and club dates, engaging some local choirs as they go, locally at Katoomba's Metro Social in October.

Don McGlashan is one of New Zealand’s best known and loved songwriters. His career spans from the seminal post-pop-punk band Blam Blam Blam, to The Front Lawn (duo), to platinum selling and internationally recognised band The Mutton Birds. Catch him on our shores again 26 October at Metro Social, Katoomba.

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There's No Aphrodisiac Like...

Iconic piano-rockers and purveyors of loneliness The Whitlams will bring their national tour to the Blue Mountains this November.

The Whitlam’s classic four-piece line up of Tim Freedman on piano and vocals, Jak Housden on guitar, Warwick Hornby on bass and Terepai Richmond on drums will deliver the sort of sprawling, rambunctious set for which they have become famous.

Their career achievements include seven albums, 3 x multi Platinum and 3 x gold, and 3 x Aria awards including Best Group presented by Gough Whitlam in 1998. Their album Eternal Nightcap more recently earned 17th spot in Triple J’s Hottest Australian Album Of All Time.

Catch them November 16 in Springwood at the Blue Mountains Theatre.

On The Stoop On The Stage For Rampage!

On The Stoop don’t plan on sticking to the rules. Or expectations. Or the straight path. Join them and be a part of the Baroque relaunch weekend following the extensive refurbishments (see page 6). Balkan Gypsy, Mariachi, New-Orleans Swing, Hot Jazz, Spaghetti-Western, Cabaret, Film Score, Cumbia, Ska, Punk-Rock and Funk and few other as yet unidentified genres are all represented in this magnificent ensemble. On The Stoop are making a mark with their own style of refreshingly unpredictable music.

This magic medley of music is part of the Carrington's Baroque re-opening weekend featuring on Saturday September 29.

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

WHAT’S ON

20 years of Traks

Gabbi Bolt Through Girl's Eyes Performing since she was 14, Bathurst based University student Gabbi Bolt is now emerging as an impressive singer songwriter, who is going ahead in leaps and bounds. Gabbi has just released her first song entitled “Girls Eyes”. “It’s a song about the women in my community and beyond who suffer or have suffered from abuse and violence,” says Gabbi. She is donating all proceeds from the sale of the song to Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia (www.rape-dvservices.org. au) and the local women’s refuge in Bathurst. You can buy the song via: www.gabbibolt.com

Dubbed ET20, popular label Elefant Traks is celebrating its 20 year existance with a series of events around the country. This is special news for the Blue Mountains crew as many of the label's artists have been birthed from our humble venues and communities.

Elgusto was 11, Dubs was 15, and they joined a big band started by Elgusto’s dad John. This soon changed into a smaller jazz, Latin influenced instrumental band and it was in this setting that Hermitude honed their skills and began their own career in music. Plenty has changed since those humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains. Hermitude decided to take their show back to where it all began, as a live band playing tiny venues—this time armed with a catalogue of heavy hitting tunes, and possibly something from the new almost-completed album. www.etturns20.com Mountains beat makers Goro are turning it up a notch, having recently performed at Winter Sostice and tucked away working on their 7" Record dropping Mid September.

The dynamic duo will do an instore at Velvet Fog before the big release at Katoomba Station Bar with Cooking With Caustic and DJ Cost on 15 September. @gorobeats

Demagé Are Cruising Along Hands Heart and Feet once again unite with Music Hunter for Blue Mtns favourite Summer celebration, Banquet of Dreams at Blackheath Community Hall. The lineup this December includes Lucky African Dance, MichelE from Afri Chele, Annalouise Paul Flamenco Troupe, Hands Heart and Feet Drummers and Dancers, plus Equus World Music Fusion (pictured). Some are most excited by the fact that chai guru Daz from Blissbeat Curry will be back from his overseas travels to cater the event.

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Originally Penrith based duo Demagé have been working for Carnival Cruise Lines for the last few months and travelled to places such as Alabama, Orlando, Alaska, Mexico, The Carribbean and Seattle.

"Our new single is being released August 31, it is called ‘I Don’t Mind’ and it is the first single to be released since we have found our new sound in country/folk music," says Demi.

The song also has a vid online at @demagemusic.

Successful Australian artist Dean Ray co-wrote and produced the song with the duo, the tune bases itself on

the idea of finally not worrying about what everyone else thinks and just believing in "who we are and what we do." Demagé are soon returning to the States for another six month stint.

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

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THE SCENE

5Create NSW recently held a session in Parramatta attended by Music Hunter's Meg Benson and Brad Diedrich. Pictured above reading Haze magazine is (from left) Brad, Paul Graham (Create NSW Strategic Projects), Meg, and a young promoter from the Camden area.

The point of the meetings with Music Industry Reps was to identify the challenges, needs and ideas

5Retro Rehash is a weekly program on Radio Blue Mountains with interviews and performances from up and coming artists. Pictured is host Willem with Lithgow's Kell, and guitarist Andy Wilson. Tune in 4-6pm Fridays on 89.1fm or watch the vids on Facebook weekly. Pics by Lona Logan, Inertia Photography

5Antonia and the Lazy Susans maxxed out their Opal cards while using Faulconbridge Station as the location for their upcoming music video around the theme 'RUOK'.

Pic by Willem Hendriksen

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for the future development of contemporary music in NSW. Meg says "I’ll be discussing the topics we covered that day on my segment of ARTHouse 89.1fm on 20th September 7.30pm and my guests will include Cheryle Yin Lo (Camden Cultural Arts development), Van Sereno (Musician and festival organiser) and Brad Diedrich (Musician and designer)".

6Slightly Chilled have just dropped their first original album "And Don't Ask Why" recorded over two years at SongCave Studios in Lawson with Eliot Reynolds. Performing as a full band as well as a duo, singer Rita McNaughton says "We are so proud of what we have created and now we just want to get it out there for people to hear". It's available on all digital networks, with a live launch planned early next year.

5Willem Sherlock Roorda has taken a step over the side of the Mountain to Hawkesbury where he's becoming more involved in the blues scene there including The Macquarie Arms where a new open mic night is fermenting. "It's a beautiful old pub and it's got its own ghosts!" he says.

Willem is pictured above at Aunty Jacks by Inertia Photography.

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

THE SCENE

5Christine's Millinery launched a new Burlesque range of headwear at Blue Cabaret, as worn by performers from Dance Like a Diva, pic by Brigitte Grant Photography.

5Diesel marked his 30 year musical anniversary at the Hydro

5Lazy Colts and Pony Face at Roxy Room Katoomba, by Brigitte Grant Photography

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5Australian orchestral pop band My Friend The Chocolate Cake (aka MFTCC) played the Blue Mountains Theatre in Springwood on June 22. Several hundred music lovers of all ages and walks of life fronted up on the night.

MFTCC was founded in 1991 by David Bridie and world class cellist Helen Mountfort, both from Aussie 1980s group Not Drowning, Waving. In ’96 Helen played on the hugely successful, and critically acclaimed, Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue duet, “Where the Wild Roses Grow”.

The highly experienced and talented band took its name from a song title by experimental electronic outfit, Sydney band Ya Ya Choral. My Friend The Chocolate Cake is composed of David Bridie on keyboards, Helen Mountfort on (of course) cello, Andrew Richardson on guitar, Greg Patten on drums and ukulele, gypsy violinist Hope Csutoros, and Dean Addison on double bass.

Pieces played on the night were from a variety of genres, from ballads to instrumentals to pop delicacies; and from both MFTCC’s seven album body of work and Not Drowning, Waving’s nine studio albums. Some of the most memorable were ‘Your Ship Has Gone’, ‘Fishing Trawler, ‘I’ve Got A Plan’, ‘Easter Parade’, ‘Lighthouse Keeper’, and their biggest hit, ‘The Romp’. One of the highlights of the night was a blazing musical duel between Helen and Hope— genuinely thrilling (and curiously enough, often comical) stuff.

Oh, and you know how I mentioned that Helen Mountfort is world class? Heck, the whole band is! The lyrics adroitly alternate between political commentary and observations of Australian suburban life. The compositions consist of evocative, frequently exciting, occasionally brooding chamber pop/world music masterworks.

The gig was definitely well worth catching. MFTCC wound up delighting the fans with a six-song encore—pretty much unheard of in this day and age. Since the band is now on indefinite hiatus, you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for any future appearances. Fingers crossed … Review by Paul Young

5Some floral beauty at last year's Leura Village Fair which is on again this October as the town's trees spring to life once again. Pic by Brigitte Grant Photography.

5Tijuana Taxi - A Tribute to Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass reliving a glorious era of the mid 1960s at the Springwood Theatre. Pic by Brigitte Grant Photography.

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

THE SCENE

SIDESHOW ANNIE - Big Black Dog

Sideshow Annie have made a massive career with both performance, recording and open mic mix, and have just stomped out their latest disc Big Black Dog, as launched at Winter Solstice in Katoomba's Family Hotel. Eliot Boyd Reynolds comes out gliding and sliding with the guitar, smoothly shuffles onto Gillian’s wonderfully crafted jazzy rock vocals. Taking a sweet left turn that Annie Lennox would be proud of, Tip my Top Hat accentuates that vaudeville feel that Sideshow Annie are so famous for. Bringing back the blues with Bye Bye Baby which perfectly sets the scene for the artfully crafted song Big Black Dog. It’s an ominous yet empowering tune articulating themes of depression with lyrics around putting a lead on your big black dog.

This album isn't all serious though, also demonstrating the fun atmosphere that Sideshow Annie provides, and with absolute finesse creatively tackling some of the modern day big issues.

LINDA MIZZI - Real People

This album Real People, it’s real good. It starts real chill, bringing some of Linda's signature subdued blues leading into sweet chillaxin' action where you are vibing on the couch but waving your hands in the air. In the track Crooked Man the harmonica really does hit the harp-strings showcasing Linda’s poetic storytelling. She harnesses the talents of her backing band featuring local real peope including Stefano on guitar and Ian's drums adding to the folky flavour.

Linda artfully takes on the Choirboys ‘Run to Paradise’ letting the song become a slow jam where you can take in the lyrical content on a level you may have never realised.

The album finishes on a beautiful sombre note with the song The Kind, there are so many stories it’s a profound journey that only takes 58 minutes.

GROOM EPOCH - Solar Warden

Australia’s Groom Epoch were created by former drummer from The Church, Richard Ploog and Solar Warden is their second album, released through Golden Robot Records. Aside from the amazing cover art, the sound they create is slightly whimsical, shimmering and hazy, sauntering songs with a very deep vocal, think King Dude jamming with Crash Test Dummies. The album spans ten tracks running to around 50 minutes in length. The jaunty ‘Give Up The Ghost’ and the swaggering ‘Fodder for Zion’ are standouts. This isn’t music to make you get up and move, it is more a soundtrack to sinking into a worn leather armchair surrounded by good company and fine art. From songs about paranoid observations to tales of human love and the challenges faced in intimate relationships, from entertaining theories to the celebration of the empowerment of individuals achieving the impossible, Solar Warden is an exploration, a 10-track cosmic journey.

KAZIAH - EP

Kaziah's self titled EP is fresh young pop that psychedelically rocks. Bringing together influences such as the Strokes and Vampire Weekend into the psychedelic realms of Beach Fossils and Tame Impala, perfectly exemplified with their third track – ironically titled Song 1. The EP transports you to another dimension where the phasers are set all the way to 11. I can’t believe these tracks have been so beautifully crafted by kids in high school. With every track Kaziah keeps on giving you more, especially with La Ville where the time signature enters a cosmic 5/4. Finishing off with Something More, taking your mind into oblivion with a cosmic bliss jam.

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www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

THE SCENE

Multi Instrumentalist is so Iridescent Would you jump up after watching a cooking show to write a song about the cute guy who was on it?

Mara Sanders would – she actually did! The result is ‘Iridescent’, one of the songs on her premiere EP of the same name. It will be launched on Sunday, September 23, at 5pm on Facebook live.

All parts were written, arranged and sung by Mara Sanders herself.

The multi instrumentalist was actually for a long time not sure if she should follow her musical calling, having started studying medicine and being quite good at this. But now she has changed track and is working on her Bachelor of Music, composition

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

and production. Considering her compulsive song writing, that was probably the right decision.

Mara also gives lessons in drums, vocals, piano, ukulele, banjo and

mandolin at the Blue Mountains Music Academy. Don’t miss the Facebook release at 5pm on 23 Sept, there are t-shirts to be won! @ositamusicau

www.thehazemag.com.au

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COVER STORY

Exploring New Territory Guiding audiences along journeys of eclectic electrics, ‘powerhouse pixies’ HumUmbra have flourished into a unique force in our local musical microcosm. Their debut music video ‘New Land’ is a fiercely original, slow-burning work of grace and meaning that examines the physical concepts of relationships. Corin Shearston unravels more meaning behind the music, photography by Mellen Burns.

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www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

COVER STORY

E

xhibiting an offbeat style of ‘electronic quirk pop’, members Gigi Ray and Georgia Webb formed their project midway through last year. After discovering an online clip of Gigi singing an original piece accompanied with body percussion, composer Georgia was struck by the arrow of inspiration to create some synth sounds for Gigi’s vocals.

Secretly keeping this remix, Georgia then showed the singer her results, knowing they needed to make more music in this way. Thus, HumUmbra was born. Tireless creativity led to the proud release of debut EP Arcanum in June last year, aided

by Georgia’s digital innovation. A lush, intricate and exciting concept album based on the divination of the Tarot, the five-track release signified HumUmbra as a newly found breakout act. Through sounding out their audio-lyrical ideas, a collective vision was focused to understand where the sweet spot lay in the eyes of the public; thus being the ultimate yield of Arcanum. Georgia and Gigi promptly went on to turn heads and catch many eager ears, from their initial festival appearance at Just Quietly to a musical guest slot on Retro Rehash at Radio Blue Mountains to Sydney performances at the Record Crate in Glebe and Bizarre Haberdashery’s charity event in Marrickville. An exciting singles launch of HumUmbra’s ‘New Land’ and ‘All You Need’ is now planned to take place on September 27th at the Knox St Bar in Chippendale, in support of oddball champion Scruffamudda; find out more on Facebook. Naturally, one asks ‘where to next?’ HumUmbra are happy to simply keep the music coming and the gigs following close behind, says Georgia. Gigi, however, has a special ambition for connecting a love of music with their love of festivals, bringing the group to more over the years.

Firmly grounded by music’s joy and unity, HumUmbra have now found more public accessibility through a newly-honed ‘pop’ appeal, dealing in immersive bass, driving rhythms and exploratory melody machines.

Satisfied that their latest material fully

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

represents their live chemistry, new singles like ‘All You Need’ and ‘New Land’ honour the adaptation to instil more personality into musicality. As Georgia explains to HAZE however, “At the same time I also feel like we are still on a very exploratory trajectory … in a relaxed and having fun kinda way.” Remaining true to this spirit of fun, HumUmbra’s live DIY costumes reflect this, incorporating pom-poms, smashed circuit boards, ‘jellyfish’ material hoop frames and a bold barefoot approach to honour the resourcefulness of the Blue Mountains. This has even led to a lighthearted push for Eurovision from fans!

Earth & Our Bodies For the written thoughts of HumUmbra, lyricist Gigi Ray has steered their electronic vessel to understandings of varying human experiences. More topical themes have emerged lately however, such as the way emotions are experienced within the mind and the body, with rumination on both the Earth and our bodies as organisms. Using evocative personal experience through her song lyrics, Gigi also attempts to relate to collective human attitudes, knowing she’s hitting home with something true if she can feel the original words in her body. Georgia’s immersive compositions craft entire landscapes around these feelings, she tells us. HumUmbra have now started

experimenting with new songwriting methods for their upcoming body of work, such as Georgia completing the final music before Gigi bestows her words on these creations. This is opposed to the process for Arcanum, where all lyrics were finished before synths, effects and beats were inspired from them.

Meditating on the themes that inspire ‘New Land’, HumUmbra view both the Earth and humans as almost identical beings, portrayed through the simultaneous drawing of topographical lines on the bodies of Georgia and Gigi. “In the same way humanity has shaped landscape and culture, we shape the internal landscape of everyone we engage with”, says Gigi. The shadowy minimalism of their film clip echoes this sentiment perfectly.

Bringing us into the present with this genre-defying, thoughtchallenging group, an ‘earth shattering surprise’ is in the works for HumUmbra fans. We shall wait to see where time propels these bold young artists.

Check out HumUmbra's Facebook page for info on their new singles launch of ‘New Land’ and ‘All You Need’ on September 27th at the Knox St Bar in Chippendale, in support of oddball champion Scruffamudda.

www.thehazemag.com.au

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HIDDEN HISTORIES

A Pentub Energy:

gan

Photo by: Lona Lo

Interview by Corin Shearston

A jazz drummer from age 17, he’s glammed up for Rage and fought off skinheads with cymbal stands as a pioneering figure in Australian hardcore.

Throughout an extensive drumming career shifting from jazz to hardcore, punk and thrash to psychedelic rock, alternative rock, glam and hard rock before returning back to jazz, this is the life of Mr Tubby Wadsworth, an enigmatic musical chameleon. He’s earned and learned battle scars and hard-won artistic knowledge in a multitude of fondly remembered and celebrated urban bands; Massappeal, Fester Fanatics, Kings Cross, Melody Black, The Harlots and Killing Time.

Tubby’s now lending stick duties to a handpicked trio, K.T.B, who are getting ready to play Lithgow’s Resilience Festival. Corin Shearston digs deeper into the tale of Tubby.

Born Aleg Nikolzew, Tubby’s name was subsequently anglicised to Alec, and then Alex, before gaining his

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‘ridiculous’ stage name at age 12 while watching an original version of The Secret Lives Of Walter Mitty with two friends and future bandmates.

“Talk about multiple personality disorder!”, he tells us. Beginning his journey on the kit through his high school’s concert band in 1977, Tubby became a firm endorser of Pearl Drums and spent seven years in concert bands. As he revealed to Haze, “I completely ‘nerded out’ during my concert band days, and loved the feeling of having a 30 piece brass and woodwind section, blowing hard. Guess I always liked loud stuff.”

Prior to this development, Tubby credits the military precision of local municipal bands’ snare drum lines for opening his eyes to the possibilities of drumming. Tubby states, “they drew me in close, and I knew immediately that this was going to be my career path”. So much so, that he went on to win three state Rudimental Snare Drum Comps in a row, despite his self-admitted lousy drum kit

playing in the early days. His first professional drumming opportunity arose through a chance at filling in on drums with The New Holland Jazz Band, alongside esteemed American jazz trumpeter, Greg Englert, at age 17. Tubby explained how he watched their usual drummer Bob Rando like a hawk, before the jazz band, who had seen potential in his playing, offered to give him a go on the drums. He still feels greatly indebted by their offer, as it also helped him transition to properly joining a band for the first time in 1987; a fiery bunch of rowdy adolescents known as Massappeal.

Asked if it was a culture shock for Tubby to transition from the rich, intricate grooves of jazz to the harsh, thrashing brutality of hardcore, he tells the Haze that he understood the change culturally and instinctively, through the parallel attitudes of the fans they were aiming at, and the allowed room for musical freedom, saying “it never felt restrictive at all”. Tubby states that both jazz and metal, or hardcore, are aimed at the same type of music listener - the committed and serious connoisseur, or at least an independent fan with a critical ear. This understanding of specific audience engagement further helped Tubby reinvent his style in Massappeal, and his next group, Fester Fanatics, though the cultural shift in audiences was sometimes a bit overwhelming. Detailing the night of a Canberra date at the SPURS venue (R.I.P) along the coastal leg of the D.R.I/Massappeal co-headlining tour in 1987, (D.R.I standing for Dirty Rotten Imbeciles), Tubby explained how National Front skinheads turned up to “start a party”, which devolved into a fiercely physical confrontation.

From '87 to '89 Tubby’s timekeeping kept him very busy indeed. Lending studio drums to Massappeal’s caustic 45RPM single The Bar Of Life, Tubby then contributed a whole 18 tracks of frenzied drumming to the Fester Fanatics debut LP What Choice Do We Have, featuring charming numbers such as ‘Welcome To The

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HIDDEN HISTORIES

Killing Time with Tubby Wadsworth Pigpen’, ’Mod Sucks’ and ‘My Mama Wears Army Boots’, as well as Mr Wadsworth starring on the final track, ‘Tubby’s Drum Clinic’, a sustained parody of musical elitism.

When asked what the reasoning and inspiration behind a satirical piece such as this was, Tubby explains that it was “born out of the frustration of seeing certain drum clinics being conducted by drummers who were perfectly good players, but were more into shredding licks and patterns that no young player could possibly understand.”

Coming next on Tubby’s professional agenda was sharing drum-kit duties on Fester Fanatics follow-up covers LP, Greatest Cocktail Party Hits Vol. 1, though the internet credits him as simply playing bongos on the record.

In three years time, Tubby found himself performing in his most successful band, Killing Time, (AKA Mantissa), and appearing in a video clip on Rage for the single ‘Ruby’s Mind’ in 1991. Recording duties were overseen at Melbourne’s Platinum Studios, where Crowded House recorded Woodface that same year.

When questioned as to whether the glitzy rock aesthetics clashed with Tubby’s inner punk, he laughs matters off as not being much of a looker in spandex and cowboy boots, although he was a ‘hair-farmer’ in the 1980s. Sticking true to the glam rock vibe, Tubby became the drummer of another Sydney hard-rock band known as Helter Skelter in 1993, formerly titled Candy Harlots. Joining the line-up while they were signed to EMI’s US label, they released a single version of Iggy Pop’s ‘Cry For Love’ before releasing an self-titled CD EP as The Harlots in October of 1994 and drawing things to a close the following year.

At present, Tubby’s back behind the drums again in K.T.B, a kickass local power trio fronted with the esteemed soaring vocals of Benjamin Sorenson, also on guitar, alongside 18-year old

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bass prodigy Kolya Chan. Tubby was first drawn to Ben through a chance encounter seeing him perform acoustic metal covers in Katoomba at local author Brian Giffin’s book launch of The Encyclopaedia Of Australian Heavy Metal at the Hotel Gearin in 2015.

Witnessing Benjamin nail killer versions of Iron Maiden and Billy Thorpe tunes armed with just a steel string guitar brought forth the inspiration for getting a new group off the ground with his voice at the helm. The ‘final piece of the puzzle’ came through stumbling upon Kolya. As Tubby tells us, “the kid knows every Who bootleg ever released and plays rhythm like Alvin Lee”, so he wanted a band where everyone could find room to stretch out, and flex their musical muscle. K.T.B are getting their due through being billed on the impressive lineup for Lithgow’s upcoming Resilience Festival on October 13th. A music event aimed to highlight issues surrounding suicide and mental health is a very worthy cause to Tubby’s latest group. “Every second musician I know has in some way been affected by this tragic and alltoo-common occurrence”, he tells Haze.

Upon asking Tubby how he has found the versatility and indeed, resilience, to survive in the world of rock ’n’ roll for more than 30 years, he reveals two varying answers. Put simply, the motto of ‘practice’ has ensured his quality of playing to hold steadfast and increase over the years, but his definitive answer is to always hold a genuine musical approach and a pure love of performing. “If I’m surrounded by committed players then I’m 100% on, but if I find myself in a situation where the musicians are faking it then I’m out of there quicker than a flash”, he explains. Embodying the characteristic speed of his punk rock roots in passing through a dizzying amount of musical groups from the late 70s to well into the 21st century, bringing joy to countless fans and fellow artists across the nation and beyond, The HAZE wishes luck to Tubby Wadsworth, and we hope he keeps ‘sticking’ it, to the man.

UP-BEAT ENDORSEMENTS THOUGH A COMMITTED STUDENT OF HIS IDOL, SUPERSTAR TONY WILLIAMS, WHO ALSO BEGAN HIS DRUMMING CAREER AT AGE 17 (WITH MILES DAVIS), TUBBY WOULD LIKE TO OFFER PRAISE AND SUPPORT FOR A RANGE OF LOCAL BLUE MOUNTAINS PLAYERS, INCLUDING: ISAAC BEGGS, PETE DRUMMOND, IAN NEIL MORRISON, SEAN BURNETT, OLIVER MORLEY-SATTLER, IAN DUNN, KALON CAPTAIN, AND LEE O’DONOUGHUE. KEEP IT UP, GUYS!

antissa Top: Killing Time/M Massappeal ng for Above: Drummi

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THE SCENE

Winter Solstice in Katoomba is the coldest, darkest and yet most-celebrated day of the year, with musicians in June facing icy conditions and frozen digits to bring ear-muffed punters something to dance to

Prog parishioners Papersun performed in Civic Place (panorama pic by David Tobin) while Council and Co provided some further opportunities for performers in oft-lost spaces along the street. The day opened at The Carrington steps with Hands, Heart Feet and after the famous fireworks the Super Solstice Showdown event illuminated the evening.

With glow-in-the-dark art and live music by locals including Jimmi Carr, Paperhill, Sonori (with new cellist) plus heavy flamenco masters Malcura from Melbs who also popped up at The Velvet Fog and OCB for impromptu jams during the day.

Next year will be back to regular programming with Winter Magic Festival celebrating 25 years!

Clockwise from top left: Apple Heart oil art by artist Marco Grilli, Malcura's midnight madness, Sonori's Andre calculates a vol knob swell, Paperhill's Oli in his illumi-legs Pics by Lona Logan, Inertia points toward a psychedelic Jimmi Carr, luminous body painting by Jules Hiam Photography

Sea of Sound Making a Splash

Last month Stephen Champion, curator for the 2018 Inland Sea of Sound announced the line-up for the event, which will be held later in the year over two dates Friday 30th November & Saturday 1st December to take advantage of the warmer weather up on Wahluu – Mount Panorama. The headline acts this year are The Cat Empire and Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier, whom are seasoned festival performers. Both acts will bring something special to compliment the great array of local talent from across the central west region. Some of the local acts have featured in the pages of The Haze Magazine including Smith & Jones, Safety of Life at Sea, Andy Nelson, and The Honey Drippin’ Mudskippers.

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Issue 15 - Spring 2018

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Let's go Lithgow

The Haze lights up Lithgow's leading events including the upcoming Resilience Festival, its mammoth line-up and some of the best local bands both on and off the bill

Heaviness To Keep Your Head Up Interviews: WIllem Hendriksen, Story: Corin Shearston, Pics: Mellen Burns Lithgow’s Resilience Festival is a boldly unique cultural event existing across multiple decades of music and varied generations of people, taking place on Saturday the 13th of October. With a primary social focus on mental health and suicide awareness, but a musical angle of bringing old-school rockers back to an arena-like venue alongside newer, hyped headliners, it’s guaranteed to be a memorable day at the Tony Luchetti Sportsground.

Members of such iconic metal and rock bands such as Forty Bends, Kania and Datura Curse will be reforming in their respective acts to deliver punchy, emotional set lists to the punters, and more recent bands will be able to gain some crucial exposure from the day, with all proceeds being donated back into the town. The entirety of the project was dictated by selfless community generosity, with every business in Lithgow chipping in and three ingenious local organisations overseeing big fundraising nights on the back of a council grant. Armed with a friendly dream goal of beating the attendance numbers of Ironfest, The Haze digs deeper into the story of Resilience.

Chatting over coffee with organisers Greg and Sam, the contextual origins of Resilience Fest were revealed as an inspirational event born of tragedy.

Due to a recent redundancy of certain mines in the Lithgow area, the main source of community income, 13 Lithgow citizens committed suicide over the course of 18 months.

Having the nearest mental health service buildings in Bathurst and Penrith only aggravated the situation.

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Fortunately, a Headspace centre will be established for the town in November, but is only accessible to under-25 year olds; a resource which wasn’t readily available when it was severely needed. Greg McManus lost two friends over the duration of two weeks, and knew he had to do something. This led him to spark up the idea of a fresh music festival; aimed to simultaneously provoke discussion on the matter whilst keeping things casual in an entertainment-based framework.

Therefore, Resilience Fest will feature mental health information and displays alongside the major drawcard of live music.

Bridge the Gap As Greg tells Haze, “the festival is to bridge the gap. Live music has always been my outlet, where I can get in a mosh pit and nothing matters, for however long that may be." As I write to you as a rock fan and metalhead, I also know that this cathartic release of energy as felt in a live environment is incredibly cleansing and invigorating. We’re extremely fortunate that heavy music can be there as a bedrock and emotional punching bag for any rotten feelings life may throw at you. Greg continues, “Lithgow hasn’t seen a music festival for a very long time. Bands with an opinion and thematic presence on mental health is where we’re looking for with headliners, to showcase what we’re about.” The fantastic element to Resilience Fest lies in their dual support for music AND mental health, with the absence of a clinical aspect.

As well as generating a push for mental health awareness, the music

Making a stand: Resilience Festival masterminds Greg McManus, Glen Hurry, Sam WIlliams & Steve Broome lovers who organised the festival are providing a newer, larger, and more actively listening audience than just a pub crowd for an acoustic performer or covers band.

The reformation of Forty Bends is a main focus for the festival, as music organiser Sam tells Haze. “Due to a decline of music venues, these guys have lost an arena to thrash out, and an audience. Some of these guys have turned into full-on, phenomenal acoustic musicians, as there’s been reduced opportunities for a full band resurgence. Resilience is allowing the space for old-school expression and providing an audience.” To maintain clarity for the type of emotional heft that inspired the festival, audiences are encouraged to absorb the lyrics and messages of performers, whilst also letting loose and ‘going off their melon’, to quote Sam.

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LET'S GO LITHGOW LithGlow 2018 Fire and Lights was held back in May coinciding

with the Australian Heritage Festival showcasing and celebrating Lithgow’s remarkable story of industrial innovation dating back to the late nineteenth century. The event was staged over ten locations on the weekend of May 12 and 13 with special attractions including tours of the old Lithgow Small Arms Factory site along with a lighting display and a World War II searchlight scanning the sky, projection and lighting display at Eskbank House Museum, a Fire and Light show, LED dance performances, live music, food trucks and markets at the newly revamped Blast Furnace Park, Lighting display at the Portland Foundation Silo murals painted by acclaimed artist Guido Van Helten, Art Exhibition and music at Gang Gang Gallery, Ghost Tours at the State Mine Heritage Park, and Scottish Heritage talks. LithGlow 2019 will be held on the second weekend in May 2019.

Lithgow Halloween 2018 Stranger Things will be happening in Main Street Lithgow on 27 October.

Lithgow Halloween 2018 will be taking you back in time with the great '80s band the Cockroaches playing live. The '80s had great music and some of the best scary characters and movies including Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining and Halloween II. There will be lots to entertainment for the whole family with two live music stages, Ghost Train rides with Lachlan Valley Rail, Markets, high flying aerial shows, street performers and amusement rides for the young and brave.

Join in the Street Parade in your best costume and take part in the best dressed competition. Each year so many people put a huge effort into creating the most amazing costumes for Lithgow Halloween and at the 2018 there will be a great chance to show off their creation. www.halloween.lithgow.com

Rockstar Shop

Tin Shed

A Reader's Heaven

A fresh local boutique specialising in a wide range of unique women's fashion, Lithgow’s Rockstar Shop has everything you need for that funky summer makeover or eye catching party wear. Dealing in a multitude of gloriously eccentric bags, jewellery, skirts, and raincoats, whilst also stocking designer clothing lines such as Joseph Ribkoff, Laura Vita and Ilse Jacobsen Hornbæk, they also carry a selection of leather knee-high boots.

The Lithgow Tin Shed cafe is dedicated to keeping food real with a strong commitment to local growers and suppliers. Specialising in locally inspired wood-fired pizza, coffee and gourmet treats on a tantalising cafe menu, the Tin Shed also hosts events and runs music nights. Hosting artists such as Jimi Carr, Erin Cobcroft and Cletis Carr in its warm rustic surrounds, come down and see what all the fuss is about!

Proudly serving the Lithgow community since 1998, A Reader's Heaven expanded with a multitude of new titles, genres and authors when current owner Paul Phillips joined in 2000. Paul is happy to provide personalised recommendations and expert knowledge to the public, as well as selling arts supplies, holding author signings and providing the donations of proceeds to local charities.

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LET'S GO LITHGOW

Kell

Gutsy and soulful Lithgow local Kell, (Kelly Hamilton), recently launched her 9-track debut album Balance online. Eliot Reynolds, founding member of beloved local rock group Sideshow Annie appeared on the record, contributing acoustic/electric guitars, bass and keyboards, with Jase Shanahan on drums.

An original blend of 70s, 80s and 90s rock also inspires the work with her main band SideCaR, a familiar pub rock act favoured throughout the Lithgow and Katoomba scenes.

The Chats

Tonight Alive

The Chats are a pub punk band from the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

You’ve heard “I’m on Smoko, so leave me alone!” right? Yeah, thats The Chats. For a band thats been together for less than two years, they’ve managed to tour every corner of the country with the Cosmic Psychos, played at Cherry Fest on AC/DC lane, and with QOTSA will be playing their very first shows in big rooms. Get down early, they’ll be your new favourite band.

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After drawing on a collective love for pop punk and hardcore to fuse an original rock sound in Sydney in 2008, Tonight Alive have risen to become a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. Known for such hits as ‘Lonely Girl’ and ‘The Edge’, (the latter being included on the soundtrack for The Amazing Spiderman 2), the sonic grandeur of their guitar sounds and even bigger

melodies have made them a beloved live act the world over. After finding a sweeter musical reinvention for 2016’s Limitless with multi-platinum Canadian producer David Bendeth (Paramore, Breaking Benjamin), Tonight Alive are fresh off the back of their latest LP Underworld, a darker and meatier rock album.

Sharpening the stadium power ballads of Limitless with the raw determination of their earlier works, such as 2013’s LP The Other Side, they are ready to keep challenging authority and expectations.

Clowns

KTB

Exploding from wild, sweat drenched parties to the stages of international heavy music festivals such as Rebellion Fest (UK), Riot Fest (US), SXSW (US) and Groezrock (Belgium), Melbourne punks Clowns meld classic 80s hardcore influences with a present day tongue-in-cheek Aussie sensibility. Garnering praise from Triple J and Rolling Stone, Clowns broke out on the back of their 2015 LP Bad Blood, going on to tour with such punk royalty as NOFX.

A wonder trio of esteemed Blue Mountains players, the recently formed K.T.B. are primed and ready to rip on some classic Sabbath, Purple and Who tracks, with the inclusion of authentic old-school rock and punk. The group consists of Tubby Wadsworth (Massappeal, Killing Time) on drums, Benjamin Sorenson (Spoon Full, Simple Stone) on guitar and vocals with 18-year old bass prodigy Kolya Chan. Catch these dudes kicking butt soon!

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PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

LET'S GO LITHOW

Glam Jam

Datura Curse Local Lithgow/Sydney legends Datura Curse are holding a mighty reunion for Resilience Fest 2018.

After some of them personally grew up with the organisers of Resilience festival, the band members state that music was an outlet for the youth of Lithgow if one wasn’t into sport. Datura Curse formed out of serendipity at Sydney’s Soundwave

festival one year, when bassist Michael George was drinking and fell over someone, someone who turned out to be John Willmott, a drummer who grew up with Michael in Lithgow. They happened to get talking and form a band. Eventually going on to bring a bold variety of European-tinged metal to support acts such as Arch Enemy at the Manning Bar, touring with Amorphis, and nabbing slots alongside Psycroptic and Blood Duster, Datura Curse also landed a film clip on MTV at 1AM in America. Being comprised of a majority of Lithgow natives they wholeheartedly support Resilience Fest, stating they hope this event will send a message to the community to communicate more openly about mental issues in order to open the eyes of the local council with the state and national government.

Beware Datura Curse, ‘destroying one continent at a time!’

Red Bee

Ear Projector

Lithgow nostalgia dealers Glam Jam are following in the footsteps of Motley Crüe and Guns ’N’ Roses to appeal to those who were actually alive in the 80s, as well as proving themselves to be fresh and exciting for younger generations. Glam Jam have proven themselves to be more than a covers band while penning such catchy original tracks as ‘Black Widow’, earning live airplay (in person) on Radio Blue Mountains program Retro Rehash.

Glam Jam are comprised of Glen Snow, David Henninger, Christopher Campling and Duncan Andrew.

Hellions

Trailblazing progressive metal trio The constantly evolving avant dirtARIA-Nominated post-hardcore Red Bee have proved themselves pop band Earprojector launched band Hellions have been blazing as firm favourites on both local and their career in 2009 with a bizarre stages since 2013 from their native national stages, erupting out of the and heady self-titled debut LP, the Sydney to far beyond, releasing four upper Blue Mountains in 2008. With brainchild of funky buddhist Raman studio albums on UNFD Records. two EPs and LPs to their name, latest Menon. From initially bearing forth 2016’s Opera Oblivia, their second being the critically acclaimed Silent eccentric prog-tinged hits, last latest LP, was nominated for the Enemy (2018), Red Bee pack an The Marrickville year’s Avant-Pop DirtDep LP revealed Award for Best duo Jep and are The Roxy2016 RoomARIA at Hotel Gearin has Hard unbelievable punch for a three-piece, more and accessibility for the Jessica Cassar Darren Cross (ofgroup. a massiveRock/Heavy night lined Metal up for Album. punters,Being with mind-twisting musicianshipGerling). In other news, Earprojector recently recorded in Thailand, Their sound harks back to are as Volumes and Bloom Present: 'The their and sonic brutality. They hold a solid excited to soon be releasing pummelling yet uplifting follow-up, the way songs were performed in the twoLongest Night'.

Featuring live music history of performances including albums Raman his Big Rue, was unleashed in October, 2018, 60's – justnew a song, twothat singers andwrote an infrom White and heaps more to be such events as Soundwave. new found second home of Berlin. led this'll by standout single acoustic guitar – lovers and fighters, announced, no doubt turn‘Smile’. into complete harmony, black and white. the longest morning after.

Jep and Dep

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Roxy's Longest Night

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ARTS & CRAFTS

:

ld Artist Centrefo

Heather Royall

K

atoomba-based artist Heather Royall draws alot of influence from anime, manga and even video games. "These forms of art and media have fantastically interesting characters, emotions and reactions - in ways that differ from other mediums of art. Over-the-top and silly sometimes but that exaggerated element is something people relate to."

As many artists imitate and learn their craft by looking at others, Heather's early work focused on her favourite characters and games and she was a regular contributor to DeviantArt with her anime and Pokemon tributes.

"I started sketching as a little kid," says Heather. "I got interested in doing bigger ad better works when going online and seeing how good all these other artists were!"

"I try to make things playful and interesting. I enjoy doing cartoon style, I got sick of doing landscapes all the time," she confesses.

Heather has done a lot of local music poster works for bands such as Feast of Fools, allowing her to explore themes and characters derived from her love of anime. "Feast of Fools gave me a lot of challenges with their ‘innocent/corrupted’ themes."

"Sometimes I start on computer, other times I will sketch first. It’s most fun to play around with ideas that people give me, I love bringing those ideas to life for them.

"I’m trying some more simple styled art at the moment, basic lines and that sort of thing."

Left: Some of Heather's work – Pig Shake, Feast of Fools poster, and Hindu Fairy using a mix of sketching and digital manipulations.

Etsy Maker Markets

On the 24th November, local art and craft group Blue Mountains Makers will host their Annual Christmas Market in the idyllic gardens of The Norman Lindsay Gallery in Faulconbridge. Run by a dedicated committee of volunteers, who are all Blue Mountains stallholders and creatives themselves, this will be the third year the group has hosted this event.

The annual event consists of sellers from Etsy.com - an online marketplace for handmade, designed, vintage and craft suppliers.

“It's a way to bring our online stores to the public. To have so many handmade and designed products

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of this calibre in this iconic venue is truly special. For many sellers and supporters this is the highlight of their year on the market calendar,” says Nisa Stone, president of Blue Mountains Makers.

Etsy made local is a global initiative.

It is an event shared with thousands worldwide, with the best of the best being chosen in each location and held nationally on the same day in every state in Australia. This year's event also includes a focus on meeting the makers, workshops and demonstrating creative processes.

With over 50 artisan stalls, kids activities, workshop spaces, coffee, food stalls, music and picnic areas, shop locally here for Christmas.

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ARTS & CRAFTS

Mountains Set to Get Wild The Blue Mountains Arts Network (BMAN) is undertaking a rebrand to Blue Mountains Creative Arts Network (BMCAN), apparently pronounced 'Bee-Em-Can', with a commitment to engage with creatives in the Blue Mountains across all genres, including the music community, and initiate some new projects. The September launch will coincide with the announcement of the 2018 Creative Leaders, celebrated for their creative community engagement.

The Wild Mountain Collective, co-ordinated by Barbara Lepani of BMCAN, includes the following Founding Members: Shaun Brown, Gundungurra Tribal Council; Sharon and Victor Peralta, Gallery One88; Damian Castaldi, sonic artist; Tod McMillan, visual artist and academic; Martin Roberts, art therapist; Mark Tredinnick, poet; Roland Hemmert, visual artist; Inge Riebe, anthropologist; Yuri Bolitin,

wilderness explorer and writer; Tim Hollo, musician; Michelle Paulley, creative arts teacher, and Henryk Topolnicki, sculptor.

"Our aim is to explore and promote a different relationship to the natural world and one another via the creative arts, against the prevailing ethos of techno-capitalism hurtling us to species extinction, global warming and an epidemic of insecurity, anxiety, depression and loneliness," says Barbara.

"The activities we are co-creating include a monthly Book/Writers Club, podcast, Native Bee Dreaming project with the Gundungurra Tribal Council, Workshops and curated journeys—reconnecting to the natural world, Forums and Dialogues in live events with music, poetry, etc, Mixed media exhibitions, and alliances with other like-minded groups around the world.

Get involved online at www.wildmountaincollective.com.au

What’s up Buttercup?

over millennia. Beneath the soil each plant species depends on a specific species of Mycorrhizal fungus for its existence. Little is known about the optimal environmental conditions that support these fungi, but many can only grow in healthy ecosystems.

Wilson participated in botanical surveys and field research in the Kanangra Boyd Wilderness area and in Snow Gum habitat near the Wombeyan Caves and Canberra.

She was guided in her research by Ecologist and Saving Our Species Project Officer Anna Murphy from the Office of Environment and Heritage.

Freedom Wilson raises awareness for endangered Buttercup Doubletail Orchid, that's what's up! From 25 August – 7 October 2018 see Freedom Wilson's new body of work ‘Mycorrhizal Futurae – Ferox – Inferius’ on exhibit at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.

Wilson's ‘Mycorrhizal Futurae – Ferox – Inferius’ raises awareness of the endangered Buttercup Doubletail Orchid (Diuris aequalis).

Orchids have evolved highly complex ecological partnerships

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Intentional Chaos Behind Curtain at Lewers Gallery The Curtain Breathed Deeply - an expansive new commission by Sydney based artist Justene Williams – will open at Penrith Regional Gallery on Saturday 25 August. The exhibition will transform the entirety of Penrith Regional Gallery’s Main Gallery space into an intentionally chaotic, immersive and interrelated sequence of installations. Her largest and most ambitious undertaking to date, The Curtain Breathed Deeply will seduce visitors into and through a series of hypnotising sets and video installations abounding in sensory overload and cacophony.

Also on exhibition is From the Head and the Heart by senior Australian artist Leonora Howlett, who explores the principles of colour, line and pattern in a career spanning five decades. As an artist, Leonora has continually explored abstract painting as a form of visual communication.

Blue Mountains artist Samuel Quinteros will also be showing his works; a series of paintings inspired by dreaming while you’re awake. The central impulse behind the paintings is the ecstatic, fresh feeling of being alive, through an exploration of painting inspired by natural forms.

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ARTS & CRAFTS

Radio show offers local creative fix We know the Blue Mountains is a hotspot for creativity, and a weekly program on Radio Blue Mountains backs this up by presenting the best of arts, music and culture in the region.

ArtHouse, produced by Radio Blue Mountains’ President Julie Ankers, and co-hosted by Toolo founder Justin Morrissey, is on every Thursday.

Each week, a rotating program of local creative practitioners host segments in their area of expertise.

Producer Julie Ankers, who has an extensive background in radio, says “I wanted to find a way to support all our wonderful creative people in the Mountains. Creating ArtHouse seemed like a natural way to do that.”

“There really is something for everyone on ArtHouse – whether you like theatre or dance, craft or photography, we have it covered. In fact, we have two different book segments - Crime Time with Susan Tomnay and Talking Writers with Craig Billingham,” says Julie. “Since it began in 2017, ArtHouse has grown to become one of Radio Blue Mountains’ most popular shows, and I’m so proud of how we are able to support and grow our local creative community.”

Designer Matt Leach, who hosts Space, Place and Play, picks up on these themes of creativity and place, looking at how where we choose to live affects our creative mindset – an exciting field known as ‘humanistic geography’. Another popular segment is Visual/Dispatches, a contemporary visual arts show presented by Fiona Davies.

If you are a creative practitioner and have an idea for a regular segment on ArtHouse, Julie would love to hear from you. “We are always on the lookout for new talent, and for genres we haven’t covered before,” she says.

Art on air: RBM President Julie Ankers (left), Meg Benson (below left) and with guests Tessa Bunton and Blume Illustrated's Faye Wilson (right).

Station Pics: Inertia Photography

m on each Thursday from 6-8p You can listen to ArtHouse your favourite radio app. in or .au .org rbm via ng 89.1fm, streami

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ETSY MADE LOCAL | BLUE MOUNTAINS

CHRISTMAS ARTISAN MARKET SATURDAY NOV 24 9am – 3pm NORMAN LINDSAY GALLERY 14 NORMAN LINDSAY CRESCENT FAULCONBRIDGE Join us for a special Blue Mountains Makers market event.

This is our third year amongst the gardens of the idyllic Norman Lindsay Gallery. With over 50 Artisan stalls, kids activities, workshop spaces, coffee, food stalls, music and picnic areas, this day is the perfect opportunity to shop locally this Christmas.

Some parking on site, and a Shuttle Bus will be available to and from Springwood Station, $2 each way (under 12’s free)

bluemtnsmakers.com

#bluemtnsmakers

ORGANISED BY A TEAM OF ETSY SELLERS

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ARTS & CRAFTS

Garry Pettitt's Australian traditional artist in oils at Gang Gang September 14 – October 8

Zig Zag Coming to Gang Gang

Gang Gang Gallery is housed in the heritage space of the Old Refreshments building of the Theatre Royal on Main Street, Lithgow. Extensive renovations have transformed the building into a large open space which now proudly exhibits Contemporary Art from Regional NSW, Blue Mountains, as well as other parts of Australia.

The Gallery has a focus on representational pieces from all traditions, from expressionist to abstract in a multitude of mediums, including sculpture, fabric, glass, paint, and ceramic.

These artworks and the Gallery provide a meeting, celebration and conversation space for the community to consider art and the impact it has on our lives.

Sharon Howard, Gallarist at Lithgow's Gang Gang Gallery believes the Gallery is ideally situated on the edge of the Blue Mountains and the gateway to the Central West.

"The Gallery is soon to open a coffee shop ‘The Perch’ with specialty treats to tempt your taste buds," says Sharon.

Gang Gang's October Exhibition ‘The Great Zig Zag’ featuring 10 Artists will hold a grand opening on Saturday 20th October from 5pm7pm.

There are plenty of other events on including an Artisan Market Day on Sunday 18th November which will make new use of the multi-purpose space.

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Instalments from last year were selling like hotcakes at Blue Fringe

Blue Fringe Arts and Literature Festival entries open

Entries are now open for The Blue Fringe Arts and Literature Festival which celebrates the creativity of people with lived experience of mental illness. Born and bred in the Blue Mountains, the Festival is back in October to coincide with mental health month.

Through its life Blue Fringe has showcased the talents of thousands

of poets, artists and storytellers. For many it is the first time they have shared their work publically and for some the experience is life changing.

Prizes are awarded in Arts, Sculpture, Photography, Textiles, Short Story and Poetry. A youth category is open to people of high school age. The Arts Festival will open at Wentworth Falls TAFE on Wednesday the 24th October 2018 and exhibit through to the Arts and Literature Awards Ceremony on Saturday 27th October. www.kncinc.org

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

PROSE PAGE

"I guess the core themes of my poetry are environmentalism, a love for my Blue Mountains home, and two other things that are core to my identity - feminism and womanhood. I think honestly it was inevitable that these themes came out in my writing, as they are so central to who I am and for me are the essence of my humanity, the way I see myself as part of this world."

"For the past year I've actually been using a poetry Instagram account, inspired by poets like Rupi Kaur who write short poems, usually less than ten lines, that are quite profound and easily accessible for young people as a medium!"

"I used to write poetry in hard copy form, but I like that art such as writing has the capacity to move with the times and adapt to modern communications technology."

Independent Writers’ Festival for the Blue Mountains

Have you heard Varuna’s big news?

Varuna has received a Federal government grant to establish a Blue Mountains Writers' Festival.

"I also wanted to write poetry that reflects my connection to the land I grew up on - land owned by Darug & Gundungurra people, also known as the Blue Mountains. That was really important to me! I have tried to draw on and bring my love for the bush, the scrub, the wild freedom that comes with growing up next to clifftops, all into my poetry."

“We are extremely grateful to the Sydney Writers' Festival for their partnership and support over many years, but it is now time for Varuna and our Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival to transition to being an independent event on the literary calendar”, says Amy Sambrooke, creative director.

“Community support for the Festival has grown and grown over the years, so we also want to thank our community for helping us reach this exciting milestone!”

Varuna will be announcing Festival dates for 2019 later this year.

Alia Sharp's penname is 'bushfemme' and on Instagram her username is @bushfemme!

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

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STUDIO SPOTLIGHT

Stuart Cam (producer / sound engineer) and Ally Oliver (singer / songwriter) have set up a world-class project recording studio in Leura, Future State Studios, with an enviable gear list

“I

’VE always had a home studio, for about 20 years, in one form or another,” Stuart reminisces.

“I started getting into music as an escape; I came from a pretty run-down part of Bristol, UK. I was really into drum and bass music (Roni Size) and the 'Bristol Sound' (Tricky / Massive Attack / Portishead) and started DJ’ing at the shockingly young age of 15. I DJ’d in clubs for 5 or 6 years around Bristol and the greater London area,” he reveals.

Working alongside live drummers, with synthesizers and 3 turntables, Stuart says it got to a point where, from a musical perspective, it was still limiting. “I thought maybe I could have a go at making music myself, so at 22 I began producing.”

“I was trying to stabilise my situation in life, so I kept music as a passionate side interest for many years. In that time, I wrote for independent films, collaborated with local musicians, produced my own albums and scored an orchestral piece for a wildlife show – I even met Sir David Attenborough!” he says.

“I spent a lot of time in the studio.

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Over a period of time you learn how things work, what sounds good together and with YouTube and online learning you can fill in the rest. My interests have shifted from abstract electronica to hip-hop, soul, funk, rare groove, 60s 70s … many different genres!”

Stuart explains the two eras of his journey so far; the first, where everything was in the computer, or as he calls it the ‘machine’, then the latter era of ‘proper’ analog synthesizers, pre-amps and outboard.

Around a year ago they raised the capital for the recording studio and moved up to the Blue Mountains from Sydney. Having already immersed themselves in the local community, they are amazed by the talent, “with our incredible group of musos based up here, it feels like we have the ‘best parts’ of my hometown, Bristol.”

With their combined knowledge and experience, both Stuart and Ally are in a great position to help bands and musicians further themselves.

Recently working with Titan Sky, The Last Exposure, Merekat, recording local artists Jason Thornton, Isaac Beggs and Mitchell Pearce, who can all testify to this fact.

Alongside their experience, the gear plays a role too. Future State Studios has ample analog and digital gear and Stuart is confident in his production ‘magic’, as well as perfectionist mixing style. He says musicians often drop their jaws when they hear their tracks through the gear, “It’s the secret nobody’s telling you - you can’t do this in the computer, there’s no substitute for having the real hardware, it’s like magic!”

“The name Future State is like an open ended question, this idea that we are always trying to think about what the future state is going to look like. If you have the right resources and creativity, the future can be really bright. It’s about keeping an optimistic view on life,” he says. futurestatestudios.com.au

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

HIDDEN TREASURES

D

OWN a hidden Leura laneway in a converted basement, slow fashion is percolating beneath Café Madeleine at the recently opened Parker Lane Studio – offering quality pre-loved and vintage clothing.

Allegra and Hayley are the local duo behind this basement of garment gold and they are clearly passionate about the slow fashion movement, highlighting the importance of buying ethical, quality and recycled garments as opposed to the treatment of clothing as a disposable commodity.

"All items are carefully handpicked and then restored, cleaned and pressed with the emphasis on natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, leather and wool," says Heyley.

Inside Parker Lane’s doors an affordable and carefully curated array of styles immediately catches your eyes, the wowsers of beautiful 60s chic and 70s western to 80s street wear and 90s casual raise the eyebrows. Co-owner Hayley is busy ironing in the corner of the shop, the sounds and aromas of the café above infusing atmosphere as the displays of clothing peer toward us from the racks.

“This is our obsession come to life!” Hayley exclaims. “Allegra and I are right into the Slow Fashion movement, it’s about buying quality and learning to reuse and repair clothes. Thinking about where your clothes come from and getting more into what’s behind the clothing you buy.”

“We spent many cold nights painting the walls in here to give it the Leura feel. Everyone that’s come in has said The Mountains needs this and that our prices are really reasonable, their new favourite shop, it’s really encouraging.”  Parker Lane, Katoomba. Jump onto Depop or Insta to see what Parker Lane have in stock. @parkerlanestudio

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

Vintage obsession: Hayley (left) and Allegra in their funky new underground fashion space, Parker Lane Studios Pics: Pat Bowden (Patographics)

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FOLK SPECIAL

Folk

By Jack Bowden

in the Mountains

“I think it has really been sitting there brewing all along, there are so many creative people in this area”, David Tobin says about the resurgence of folk in the Blue Mountains. “Every second person you meet plays an instrument - this is why people love living here”. Ian Roger Tanner weighs in “It constantly changes and grows – groups get together, they move and they merge”.

David and Ian run monthly folk nights at Lawson Pub, and since mid-2014 they’ve seen the folk revival – what David calls the “creative undercurrent that’s brewing in the Mountains” – evolve and change.

According to Ian, “it went into bluegrass and I think it’s finished with bluegrass now, moving into a more unadorned country style.

More mandolin, fiddles, guitars and very much an emphasis on female singing”. David adds that they were “seeing a lot more jazz influences, particularly in the younger musicians”.

Local musician Andie Isalie agrees with this assessment, noting “jazz and funk is definitely really important and popular in Katoomba. I don’t

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Unshackled: Witches Leap

think that will ever change - there’s something about the wholesome nature of jazz/funk that I think will always ring true with people up here, whether that be with a young or older audience”.

Like in any movement, the predominant styles in the Blue Mountains folk scene are in a constant state of flux, as says Paddy Connor of local act Witches Leap, “The folk scene in Australia is pretty diverse, from old-timey festivals to JJJ-folk acts like Julia Jacklin, and it’s probably because Roadie: Andie Isalie

this generation’s internet-based access to music is so diverse, but also because it’s a diverse country”.

Witches Leap exemplify this diversity perfectly. The trio play, in their own words, “convict-noir folk songs” taking influence from the sounds of both Ireland and Australia, bringing a unique sense of mythology and history to the Blue Mountains. When asked about his unique style of lyricism, vocalist and songwriter Paddy replied “with Irish convict roots myself, I was always interested in the stories of that era.

With Witches Leap, we’re also writing tunes celebrating the black heroes of Australia’s past, the famous warriors like Pemulwuy and Wyndradyne, revolutionaries like Black Mary. For me, music and culture is always about identity, who you are, but also where you want to go”.

According to Paddy, “the mountains has a rich Irish tunes session culture with some really great players and instrument makers: it’s mostly found around kitchen tables, but I met Leigh [Birkett, guitar/bouzouki in Witches Leap] at a particularly whisky-soaked session that used to happen in the beer-garden of the Family Hotel”.

Paddy has acted as a mentor for many younger artists in the folk scene, including in his previous

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

FOLK SPECIAL band Lime & Steel featuring Maizy Coombes, who has gone on to feature as vocalist and violinist with extremely popular local trio Snail.

“Maizy was finishing school when we convinced her to join the band – I like to think we supported her with some tough times, but honestly, she was probably the most mature person out of all of us!” Snail recently finished recording a new album at Underwood Studios in Wentworth Falls, and lead singer/guitarist Gaia Scarf gives her perspective on this and the Mountains folk scene in general, saying it was “nothing but supportive, and we seemed to be really welcomed in by the older generations of the folk culture... whenever we needed advice or whenever we needed a song to learn”. Meanwhile, other local artists are diversifying even the way they distribute music to the community, such as Andie Isalie who is “very soon releasing a live solo EP which I’m really stoked about and also working on a new album with my trio, Isaac Beggs and David Valasia”.

Andie recently began a ‘Vandie’ series, wherein local acts play gigs out of her van for the YouTube community.

Andie told Haze that “I’ve always loved creating videos, movies, documentaries and I had just bought the van that I’m living in currently when I started thinking about how popular and sellable the ‘Van Life’ concept is, so it made sense to create videos of artists that I love and make me happy, under a cohesive marketing device such as my van […] one day I’d love to utilise Vandie as a temporary/roaming stage/installation at music and arts festivals, and travel the country doing that!”

VENUES Of course, an essential part of the Mountains folk scene is the quality local venues and promoters, which allow young bands to get their confidence up with early gigs while older acts can find familiar and regular audiences. David and Ian expressed their pride in the Lawson Pub venue for local acts, noting they could work as a “springboard into performing for a lot of Mid-Mountains acts, whereas a lot of young acts from Katoomba will already have found Junction 142.” Jon Flood’s Katoomba Social Club nights are another big draw, occupying venues such as the Kiosk near Echo Point and The Great Northern Hotel for nights of “primitive folk music” which have drawn crowds from as far as Blackheath and Sydney. Paddy Connor also identified a few hotspots for live music, including “the newest venue on the block, Katoomba’s Aunty Jack’s, Fusion Boutique has built the Metropole into an awesome venue, and the Mountains is awesome for DIY gigs at places like Junction 142”, while also stressing the importance of the yearly Blue Mountains Folk Festival and giving a shoutout to “the fantastic local independent promoters we have in the Mountains”.

The persistent popularity of folk all across the world, whether it’s the indie-tinged kind making the rounds on Triple J or the mythological, cultural kind which lives on in bars and people’s backyards, leads us to wonder: why is the genre so beloved by so many? Gaia from Snail believes that “folk feels like there’s not really any boundaries when it comes to communication, and I can

Slow folk: Snail

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Real Person: Linda Mizzi Pic by Brad Diedrich)

really speak from the heart”, noting that even though her solo work had “adapted to an electric guitar kind of sound, ultimately folk is just always kind of embedded in my being”.

This sentiment is echoed by Linda Mizzi, who has just released Real People saying “I feel like there's so many interesting people along the journey that I’ve met, and if it wasn’t for all those people I wouldn’t have those stories and be able to write the things I do – it’s the community and people all along my life story”.

UPS & DOWNS With the Mountains music scene already being so closely interconnected and tight-knit, it shouldn’t be too surprising that a genre all about people’s histories, beliefs and stories would flourish.

According to Andie, “the liveliness of this town goes up and down all the time. I think right now we are in the middle of a boom! The music scene right now is so alive and kicking and there’s so many awesome independently organised events to go to and get involved in. I wouldn’t be surprised if this started to decline again in a few years time, but it will boom again, with the next generation of artists and musicians that grow up in, and come through, this town”. Or, in the words of Paddy: “Folk is changing all the time. People are always coming back to their roots and to human stories, and that is what folk is really about”. www.thehazemag.com.au

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FOLK SPECIAL

Ian & David D Roger Tanner

AVID Tobin and Ian Roger Tanner seem right at home in the music-lovers' dream spot, Aunty Jack's Cafe in Katoomba. They revisit golden moments from their four years' experience running the monthly folk nights at Lawson Pub, where they've not only assisted in the folk revival that the Mid-Mountains has seen recently, but also played host to some of the most unique and unusual talents you'll see in a pub. “Ones that sit very strongly in my memory, we've had a band called Horse&Wood. It's an oud player, with a guy that's on a traditional Mongolian horsehair fiddle, singing multiple harmonic notes simultaneously”, says David with some pride. Ian chimes in with another: “We managed to get an 11-piece act there, Papa Gonzo. Drums and conga and a bass player, two guitars, bass, horns, keyboards on the side”.

David and Ian took over hosting duties from previous owner Nick Szentkuti in mid-2014, and since then have instituted a 'featured act' system where a different group is promoted and hosted every month. David notes that this format helps keep things diverse, as “having a feature act we can promote the gigs around each time does make it interesting for the regular punters, rather than essentially having the same acts each month”.

Tobin

Their duties go beyond just providing a space for the bands to play, however; Ian notes “we help bands get their art together, and their story... getting them a bio, a little blurb about yourself”.

Both believe in the importance of preparation and adaptation when putting on a gig. “Anything that comes up, you've gotta use to your advantage. Try not to view it as a setback, but as an opportunity”, is how Ian puts it. “There's a lot of work behind the scenes, it actually all comes together before the gig”. David added to this his biggest takeaway from their years in the position: “We're always treating our acts with a real degree of respect, and we're generally booking because we like what they're doing ... we're giving these guys a space to play their shows in, but at the same time, we love what they're doing. Making music we love happen in our neighbourhood!”

When asked about the overall folk scene in the Mountains, Ian noted that a lot of musicians move out due to high rent prices in Sydney, but quickly find they can live in the Mountains area and still play to a community interested in their music. “People can still do music for the love of it, for the connection it brings to themselves and to everyone else. That's one of

Lawson Folk: Ian (left) & David the best things about it”. David also pointed out the differences between a small, intimate pub stage and a bigger venue gig: “You're not gonna have a rigid listening audience like you would in a concert setting, that's part of the charm of the whole event, we used to have more focus on people getting up and grooving, but Thursday nights it's more of a show, the Thursday evenings is really the flagship event”.

Their plans for the future? David and Ian are happy sticking with the Thursday night gigs, citing their convenience for the Lawson community, although they wouldn't mind continuing to expand the types of music played there - “something for everyone most months”. David notes the “big what-if that's always hanging over ... what if somebody buys that venue and says we don't want music here?”, but the community in Lawson is close-knit enough that they're confident it won't be a problem. “There's not a room as good in the Mid-Mountains”, Ian says, which seems to sum it all up perfectly.

Folk music alive and kicking at sold-out Metro Socials...

Launched by Fusion Boutique in May 2016, 'Metro Social' at the Metropole Guesthouse Katoomba continues the tradition of providing an intimate listening performance space for high calibre touring acts, as well as showcasing some of our own fabulous local talent.

Along with Australian greats such as All Our Exes Live in Texas, The Morrisons, The Maes, Perch Creek and Daniel Champagne, audiences have been treated to a variety of international acts including Wallis

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Bird, The Whitetop Mountaineers, FourWinds, The Foghorn Stringband, The East Pointers, Molsky's Mountain Drifters, Edgelarks, London Klezmer Quartet, The Good Lovelies, Ten Strings & A Goat Skin and more, with the majority of shows selling out.

The Mountains are lucky to have these acts include the area on their runs, and Fusion Boutique are proud to be the ones making this happen as well as providing opportunities for our local talent to reach new audiences as well.

Specialising in original live music with a strong folk focus, genres represented also include bluegrass, celtic, americana, old timey, gypsy jazz, swing and blues. Owner Charity Mirow believes that it is the folk storytellers' experience that connects so deeply with audiences, as well as being able to enjoy these fabulous acts in such a close, personal and ambient venue. 'Metro Social' is a warm, old worldy but unpretentious and quirky space with great acoustics. @fusionboutiquepresents

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

AROUND THE REGION

Orange Melds Food & Music

By Patrick Coomey

The Agrestic Grocer – Food, Wine & Music

The Agrestic Grocer is a business in Orange that came out of a commitment to bring the absolute best produce in the region to the public as a part of the local food movement, which you can experience on a number of levels.

The grocer shop provides a retail experience that allows you to purchase fruit and veg delivered to the store direct from the growers as well as quality locally made value added products.

The Café restaurant provides a breakfast and lunch menu seven days a week. The seasonal menu features a range of rustic choices that cater for both the meat and non-meat eater from ingredients that are grown, raised, or produced locally.

Two of the finest producers in their fields also operate from the same site and their products feature prominently on the menu. The Second Mouse Cheese Board whilst the bar offers six choices on tap of Badlands exceptional craft beers. Beside their fine selection of local wines the Agrestic Grocer have recently partnered with Cowra’s Pig in the House winery to offer a cellar door experience.

The Agrestic Grocer at the same time has been providing a live music experience, nuturing local live music, which started with live weekend performances by local artists.

This led to their very successful “Ruby Tuesday Classic Album Nights”. They also hold regular live music nights by touring artists. A new venture they are hosting, which has been organised by Matt Arthur is “Generations”. This is an evening of original music by songwiters from three different generations who perform a set each then join together to perform a tune that they have collaborated on.

All this places The Agrestic Grocer in the position of being one of the premier music venues, where listening to music is the focus of the night whilst enjoying great local food and beverages.

No visit to Orange is complete without a stop at The Agrestic Grocer @ 426 Mitchell Highway Orange

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The Taste of Music - A Sensory Experience with a Twist Have you ever wondered what does music taste like? In an interesting experiment the Agrestic Grocer are hosting a special event as part of the Orange Wine Festival. Teaming with The Chambermaids an extraordinary wind quintet and Orange Mountain Wines to produce a unique sensory experience.

Lucas Martin from the Agrestic grocer explained “it all starts with wines chosen by The Chambermaids, who then have based a musical programme on their selections. The arrangements have been provided to our chef (who hasn’t been told what wines they selected) who will put together a menu based solely on the key & tempo of each piece”.

During the evening the audience will be guided through the courses by food, wine & music experts with engaging & enlightening banter. In an interactive experience they will be asked for their response to the question can you match food & wine with music?

A unique sensory dining experience not to be missed, as part of the Orange Wine Festival Saturday 20th October. You can book for this event at theagresticgrocer.yapsody.com

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AROUND THE REGION

Classic Album Choice Cuts Here’s some choice classic album shows that have happened so far at the Agrestic. If you get a chance to, make sure you catch them at a venue near you.

Bob Dylan – Desire Performed by Kris Schubert (Safety of Life at Sea) and Amy Viola in the stripped down mode of acoustic guitar and viola. This pair stepped through the nine tracks on the album by introducing them with monologues as if they were short films they portrayed in his mind. These two tangled it all up in a very acoustic shade of blue, truly encapsulating tunes such as Isis which was pure gold with an arrangement that if Bob heard, might even use it himself. “One more cup of Coffee” featured a mesmerising viola performance, working the audience into a communal sway as if a snake charmer were in the room. Their beautiful harmonies on “Oh Sister” was jaw dropping causing audience members to let out a sigh of delight before breaking into rapturous applause.

Billy Joel - The Stranger Performed by Kyle Manning (piano & vocals) & The Strangers – Mickey Young (sax) Christian Young & Dave Egan (bass & drums – rhythm section on loan from the Enormous Horns). A stellar line up that from the opening bouncing chords of Anthony’s Song transports the audience from a converted coolroom in Orange to the feel of a mid-70s piano bar down on 52nd Street. Kyle guided the audience through the tunes with some insights about how these tunes inspired him

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

The Orange Wine Festival

and shaped his playing style. This came through in the joy he put into the performances of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” & “Only the Good Die Young”. The Drumming which could have easily been mistaken for Liberty DeVito was irresistible for some on “Get it Right the First Time” with a Samba breaking out along the back of the room. A masterclass in Classic Album performance.

The Renee Geyer Band Ready to Deal Cecelia Rochelle tackled the singing duties with a handpicked band of virtuosos, consisting of the funk soul rhythm brothers of Andrew Ferguson (bass) & Rocky Rochelle (drums). Driving the grooves along Kyle Manning (piano), Matt Arthur (guitar) & Mickey Young (sax). Over three nights they channelled the funk of this 1975 groundbreaking album from Renee Geyer. Laying down deep grooves with the opener “Sweet Love”, Cecelia poured emotion out in her singing that swung between the joy of getting into the funk and emotional baggage in the lyrics, especially during “If Loving You Is Wrong'. The musos took each tune along the funk with Kyle recreating that classic Fender Rhodes vibe, tight guitar right on the groove, Drum & Bass to die for whilst Mickey Young channelling the inner grooves with his Yamaha MX-5 and sax, blew the room away. Purveyors of retro funk should do everything they can to ensure that they catch this show next time it is performed.

Come and celebrate the Orange region’s thriving wine industry and high-quality cool climate wines.

Starting on Friday 12th and running through to Sunday 21st October, the 2018 programme has over 90 events run by local producers and restaurateurs:

5 Standout Events

Orange Wine Show Tasting Fri 12 Oct * Orange Wine Festival Night market Fri 19 Oct The Taste of Music @ The Agrestic Grocer (see story on prev page) Fri 12 Oct * Lettuce, Turnip The Beets - Extended Session @ Heifer Station Wines Fri 12 Oct* Wine in The Vines Fri 12 Oct *Some events require booking for more detail check out www. orangewinefestival.com.au

Classic Album Venues

The Classic album concept is one that is now featuring across a number of areas where the Haze shines a light on what‘s happening musically. If you liked the sound of these shows watch out for them at these venues: Bathurst: Two Heads Brewery Lawson: Mesa Barrio Windsor: The Old Church

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TASTY MORSELS

Gimme the Beef Strolling through Penrith Mall on a late afternoon the Haze crew notice a roller-door with a spray painted cow shredding on lead guitar ... 'Moocifer' looks upon us and commands us to eat while store owner Paul McKeown opens up shop and fires up the Beefy's grill

A

dorned with music posters and a cheeky beefy menu, as well as offering specialty sodas and brews to match the moo’s, Beefy’s Burgers is frequented by locals for a quick takeaway or a sit in where the music clips on the TV can even win you a free burger! Owner Paul was born in Belfast and came to the Penrith-Blue Mountains area as a kid, attending school in Springwood.

“From an early age I’ve had a love for reading, writing, music, art, comics and movies,” Paul says. The references are obvious in the posters on his walls, as well as the names of the burgers (like the Chook Norris!).

“My love for music began through my parents’ record collection and has continued to grow over the years. I love discovering fresh new music as well as having a deep appreciation and interest in the great albums and artists from years gone by. At certain

Paul from Beefy's Burgers with Briggs at the BM Music Festival

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times my focus might be, but I’m not really bound to any genre and love to lump everything together, much like the Beefy’s playlist.”

Paul has also ventured into live music, over the years he’s done plenty of jamming with mates, writing songs and lyrics, “but the furthest we got was renting rehearsal space for a while and when that didn’t work out realising it probably wasn’t going to happen”.

I even lugged my bass to Europe where it remained in its case for 18 months while I enjoyed the vibrant rave scene!

Lab Legend After school I worked as a lab technician, firstly in pathology and then after my overseas jaunt, quality control labs. I had a rather awesome job at Wattyl paints, the sort of job that doesn’t really inspire you to go work for yourself. When the site was closed I soon realised the real world wasn’t like Wattyl! From that realisation I decided to create something of my own and Beefy’s Burgers was born.

Music is a huge component of Beefy’s Burgers, from it greeting your ears as you walk in, meeting your eyes upon the walls and an interactive playlist where lucky customers can win burgers when hearing tracks from a nominated monthly artist or “Meister of the Month” as we call it. Winning tracks can be found on Instagram and Facebook each month.

“My previous work experience has taught me that certain standards need to be upheld, you must be consistent and adapt the most

On the Menu

• Chook Norris • Burger Bowl • Beefy Boom Boom • Kahuna Burger • King Schnitt •& plenty more...

efficient processes. There’s always room to learn, accept feedback and advice and of course you don’t get anywhere without hard work.”

As a frequent visitor to the city I found the burgers in town had really gone to the next level. The burgers I made at home were good but I decided to buy a meat grinder and started experimenting with different cuts and blends of meat and also

Paul's Top 5 Tracks • Megadeth - Rust In Peace • Therapy? - Troublegum • Ice-T - The Iceberg

• Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.

• David Holmes - Let’s Get Killed

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TASTY MORSELS

Buns of fun: the Beefy's Burgers crew in the kitchen creating a variety of burger sauces.

At first I only intended to make them for myself, family and friends, but within a month or so we had the Beefy’s Burgers name and logo and were selling our first burgers to the public at Leura markets. About two months later I signed a lease for the shop. So it all happened pretty quickly. At Beefy’s Burgers we have a range of juicy, super tasty and simple burgers to start, but with a fairly extensive range of sides customers can get creative and hack away to their heart's desire! We also have limited edition burgers where we aim to offer something different and at times unusual! Our sirloin patty is

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

unique to Beefy’s and made in-house to guarantee quality, the premium cut creates a different flavour profile than people would be used to.

Our poutine is a popular menu item, made from our own recipe of peppery gravy. We even make our own cheese curds. Best quality ingredients, additive free and no hidden nasties - fresh burgers.

Paul has seen the local area around him flourish over the past 12 months.

“We really are spoilt for choice. When I first had the idea to open a burger shop there wasn’t one in Penrith and now there must be 100!”

Beefy's Burgers is at 492 High St, Penrith. @beefysburgers

SPRAY DAY...

Moocifer comes to life!

The shop shutter was a blank canvas and being music obsessed Paul had an idea for Moocifer, the shop’s mascot playing guitar surrounded by hellfire.

“I spoke to cool local artist Shannon Boyd who magically brought Moocifer to life. I couldn’t be happier with the results,” laughs Paul.

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SCREEN TIME

SCI-FI FLICK SEEKS STARS 2018 BLUE SHORTS WINNERS Kineret Hay-Gillor (Winner of Best Documentary for ‘My Holiday Home’)

Blue Mountains based filmmaker Tom Taylor redefines the local landscape while filming & editing his indie sci-fi film 'Last Ark'

"Since I was a child, I found myself creating scenes in my imagination and speaking to myself trying to control my illusions. I directed our final show in year four. It was very silly, I made them wear pots on their heads."

"Making a film is a very demanding, exhausting and sometimes frustrating process. If I wasn’t yearning to tell this story (My Holiday Home), I would have given up on it during production."

"I think every filmmaker is eager to tell the story they’re dealing with, even if it’s not their own personal story. The movie, ‘My Holiday Home’, was edited down from a feature length documentary that I previously directed called ‘Shockwaves’ and that tells the stories of 3 different families, who live with an injured relative, and how it affects their daily life."

"In Israel we mostly use Avid Media Composer for professional editing in the industry, and I continue to use now although it can be frustrating to use."

"My real challenge will be my next movie, which I’ve already started to film here in Australia."

"I want to make more and more films. This is my passion, my desire and my life. I can’t think of doing anything else."

Fave film: The Piano (1993) – I watched it the night before my interview to cinema special class in high school and got accepted thanks to it. @bluemountainsfilms

Set thirty years in the future, 'Last Ark' is the story of the crew of the 'Armidale', a giant floating battlecruiser that is finding it's way back to coastal Australia from the red centre after escaping an alien invasion. The crew of the ship are searching for any signs of surviving human life while enduring relentless attacks from mysterious other-worldly creatures.

"I had been developing the feature story for quite a while and initially intended to create a short film as more of a teaser, but I always wanted it to be a window into the feature length story. Our largest shoot involved 30+ cast & crew over three days. That initial shoot has been supplemented with quite a few smaller shoots."

Now in post production, the film's running time is nearing 50 minutes & Tom is gearing up to shoot another two days to add to the existing edit.

"The extra two day shoot will really flesh out the beginning of the story.

by Mathew Currey

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Now that the film is really coming together I'm hoping to use the existing edit to secure some finance to enable me to complete the feature length version of the film."

We've used about 80% local cast & crew & a large part of the story is also set in the Blue Mountains, so it's a really home grown, mountains made project!

Local actors Georgia Adamson (The Secret River - STC), Jon Sivewright (Home & Away), Tiriel Mora (Underbelly) & Christopher Truswell (Star Wars) star in the film along with Josef Ber (Rush - Mamma Mia! the musical), Damion Hunter (Devil's Dust) & Rebecca Massey (Utopia).

"I'm looking for a range of actors to play as yet unseen characters in the new opening scene, and am also hoping to cast a few other roles and minor parts."

See more at taylorfilm.com or on socials @lastarkmovie

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

SCREEN TIME

What to Watch...

Extinction

Disenchantment

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Review by Mathew Currey Vivid nightmares of an invasion from unknown entities are plaguing the life of Peter (Michael Peña, Ant-Man), which is causing a rift between his wife Alice (Lizzy Caplan, Allied), eventuating in consoling with next door neighbours Samantha and Ray and a distance amongst his two daughters Hanna & Lucy. When the nightmares and visions occur through the day while Peter is at work, his concerned boss David urges him to go to a clinic to seek help about his dreams but once there he meets another man whom is there for the same reason but is agitated and convinced the clinic will do more harm than good. Peter is now unsure whether his dreams are just manifestations or in fact a clue to something much more sinister or pending.

Australian director Ben Young’s follow up to his 2016 debut ‘Hounds of Love’ is a visceral and enjoyable sci-fi movie that plays with the conventions of an ‘invasion’ movie and delivers with minimalist treatment. With Young’s use of tension, starting on a slow burn and then increasing pace, it balances out the action and thrills making for a riveting watch. Screenwriters Spenser Cohen & Brad Kane have taken inspiration from authors such as H.G. Wells and Philip K. Dick and created a script that tackles themes of family, individuality, acceptance, and reclaiming.

This movie was meant for the big screen, and it is very evident on the large scope sets (Netflix bought it from Universal Pictures) and it is a fun and engaging movie but may be too minimalistic for some. For the rest, it is very much a treat. Definitely Recommended.

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

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Review by Caleb Marshall From the creator of Futurama and the Simpsons comes Matt Groening's new Netflix exclusive animated series, Disenchantment.

Before I go any further I want to say that I have only watched through the show once and my thoughts could easily change after a second viewing.

It's alright, it has some great moments and the creativity that has gone into is fantastic, but it has too much of a serialized/continuous story. I love continuity but I think that his style of show is at its best when it focuses on the characters finding themselves in various wacky situations over the course of an episode. Because of this interwoven story I think it has taken away from the ability to craft these funny situations towards the later part of the season. Not to say an interwoven story is a problem but I think they started to focus on it too heavily too fast – Futurama didn't start to do things like that until later in its run.

The characters are great for the most part, with Zøg, played by John DiMaggio (The same voice actor as the loveable Bender from Futurama and Jake the dog from Adventure Time), being one of my favourites.

The animation is a blend of 2D and 3D, with 3D mainly being used for large sweeping shots and the 2D has that all too familiar Matt Groening art style. Overall Disenchantment is a decent show but it hasn't quite captured the magic of Futurama or Simpsons, but I have no doubt that after another season or two it will.

Read more reviews on our Facebook Page:

@bluemountainsfilms

Blackkklansman

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Review by Tom Hutchinson Spike Lee has always asked difficult questions in his films. He has never been afraid of controversial subject matter, his films resembling a hard punch to the gut more often than not.

BlackKKlansman, his latest project, is no exception to this rule. The film is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African-American to join the Colorado Springs Police Department.

After a brief stint relegated to the Records Room, his talent and intellect quickly ensure a transfer to the intelligence department. It is here that he formulates the idea for the investigation that would launch his career and become a story that beggars belief. Posing as a white Christian man, he phones the head of the local chapter of the Klu Klux Klan, and after saying all the right things, is welcomed into the fold.

Lee affects his usual position as a director, walking the line between dark and comic with an expert flair.

With the rise of Trump and the “altright” movement in the States, he manages to tie a 40-year-old story to the racially charged history of both the past and present-day America.

It plays almost as a documentary, mostly presenting the facts of Stallworth’s book and leaving the audience to interpret them.

Spike Lee has often been considered a thorn in the side of the established Caucasian film community elite. After many years of making films that are true to his cultural and social background BlackKKlansman is no exception. It asks some very difficult questions of the viewers that have no comfortable or easy answers.

(Read the Full Review online...)

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SCREEN TIME

T A S E H C T A R C S Hei st Film ions t n e v n o C l a n Trad itio How ‘Scratch on the Surface’, a locally made heist film is changing the tradition of what makes a conventional black comedy thriller By Matty Currey “What we want to do is make a heist film about greed and the human condition; there are 3 protagonists and each one has a physical disability of some type which effects their mobility, they hatch a plan to rob a bank that they were formally employed by, their plan ends up not going as smoothly as they anticipated when new characters with separate but interconnected plot lines join the fray,” lead actor and co-producer Dean Nash explains.

Writer and Director Philip John along with Dean (who is originally from Penrith and Lower Blue Mountains area) co producer Leanne Smith and actress Laura Joy, have been working together closely on the film for over a year already to flesh out the characters and help co-write the film to make sure it is authentic and real.

Dean continues on, “I have relatively mild Hemiplegic cerebral palsy, (a Disability that effects strength, movement and fine motor skills on left side of my body) it's not always particularly noticeable, whereas my character, John faces slightly more mobility restrictions than I do. We were all very cautious on how we approached the theme and the criteria."

"We didn’t want to centre the focus on the disability, we are tired of seeing movies where the most interesting thing about a disabled character is the disability. this is a

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Getting shot: the pitch trailer and doco for Scratch on the Surface have already grabbed attention story about three desperate, quirky, flawed, smart people, who do something really stupid … they just so happen to have a disability.”

Since the film has yet to be shot in the Inner West and be completed, the crew have made a film pitch trailer and a five minute documentary about the film being made, to which the documentary was submitted and accepted into the ‘Focus On Ability: Short Film Festival’, with the winners to be announced in September. With that behind them, the filmmakers

are looking at getting a funding campaign organised. “This is something we’d like to eventually have up and running but it will be a little while yet.” Dean mentions.

"Until then, the film’s trailer and documentary is available to watch on the film’s primary Facebook page and on YouTube for anyone wanting to know more and we’ll be updated on the film's progress." @scratchonthesurface www.focusonablility.com.au

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

SCREEN TIME

2018 Blue Shorts Winners - An Interview with Angus Whalan. By Mathew Currey Angus Whalan recently took out Winner of Best Animation & Best Sound for ‘Voyager’, and is also the Director of ‘Error’ at Blue Shorts FIlm Festival run in the Blue Mountains.

"I always had an interest in animation and filmmaking," says Angus. "Playing computers at a young age and looking at the technical side of films, I actually fell into both in primary school."

Since 2016 Angus has been studying Film and Advertising at UTS. The combination of both have helped him to where both films are now.

With both ‘Error’ and ‘Voyager’ being aesthetics projects for uni, he decided to enter both into Blue Shorts festival.

"With ‘Error’, it was a collaborative assignment. We worked backwards in making the movie, meaning the story and from aesthetic and mood to gain the ‘feel’ of the end result.

We explored different aesthetic movements; found a equal decision and interest in ‘Futurism’ and ‘Glitch’. It became an aggressive advancement; looking at privacy and advancement invasive."

"The main look and feel of the film was inspired by the music video for ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails, David Cronenberg’s ‘Videodrome’ (1983) and 1980’s horror, because it’s wet and disgusting. We basically went from there. The smell on the set was so putrid that it definitely made the horror seep into the making of the film."

As for ‘Voyager’, that was a solo project for Angus. "I was the sole creator for the animation, except for the soundtrack," he explains. "It was from the band We Lost the Sea

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‘Error’ synopsis: Our relationship with technology into the question the nature of our success.

‘Voyager’ synopsis: A hiker who lives in the woods sets off to find company in a lonely world. and it really inspired me for this story; the cinematic sound it provided hit a point for my project. I tracked down the vinyl and ventured to get in contact with the band and they approved for me to use their song."

"The artwork was vital for the story. The imagery of the town in ‘Voyager’, they could be filled with people but only the fragments of them, a powerful message of feeling alone and memories. I was inspired immensely by the NASA Challenger Disaster in 1986. If I really think about it, Space has been an interest over the years and it has definitely apparent in this story."

Music is a big part of Angus and his imagination, instrumental music as well, not just classical or soundtracks.

‘Voyager’ was my first animation, one style I would like to try is editing a photo by transferring it into an audio program and using the data to recreate the image. Editing stuff blind and not knowing what effect it will have is something that is exciting for me to try. @bluemountainsfilms

Life Hits Hardest ‘Memories Of Michael’ is the first feature film produced by local filmmaker Andrew Gordon (pictured above). It was produced across three years, between October 2014 and October 2017, filmed in the Lower Blue Mountains and Outer Western Sydney area.

The synopsis is: Young and talented MMA fighter Michael Wilson has nowhere to go in life but up. That is until news of a terminal illness turns his world upside down over night. In complete denial, Michael chooses to keep his condition hidden, a choice which has grave and potentially permanent consequences on all his closest relationships. Determined not to go down without a fight, Michael issues one final challenge to Jared Andrews, the one MMA fighter that Michael has never been able to beat.

Will Michael's tragically short career have its desired ending, or is Michael destined to be remembered as second best.

"We have just released the film on DVD and we are going to make a fundraising campaign in September in which we will donate $5 dollars from every DVD sale to our struggling farmers and drought relief during the month," says Andrew.

The flick is already taking out awards including Winner - 'Best FirstTime Filmmaker' Award - Auckland International Film Festival 2018 and Semi-Finalist - Phoenix Film Festival Melbourne 2018.

Available on eBay.com.au

www.thehazemag.com.au Issue 15 - Spring 2018

HIDDEN HISTORIES

. .. d se is m t os lm a t a th IT H T THA

Paul Young goes behind the scenes with Choirboys' drummer Lindsay Tebbutt to find out how they made their run to paradise ustralian hard rock band The Choirboys kicked off in 1978 and mainly played the pub circuit for years, clocking up a string of minor hits. They were an extremely popular live act. They played the Narara Festival, along with Divinyls, Cold Chisel and a host of other Aussie greats, in 1983 to an audience of some 50,000 Their first big hit, for which they’ve been remembered ever since, is 1987’s ‘Run to Paradise’. It’s incredibly catchy, though the dark lyrics tell a harrowing tale of heroin addiction.

It was a number 3 hit nationally and stayed in the top 10 for an incredibly long time. It also hit number 13 in New Zealand and reached 33 on the U.S. charts. The band were ready to release their next song, but their company, Mushroom Records, said, ‘No we can’t release it, because the radio stations still want to play 'Run to Paradise’.

The story of the song’s rise to success gives an intriguing insight into the music industry back then.

It was important to ensure that a song’s rise up the charts did not lose momentum, and this needed to be coordinated at a national level. If a track didn’t keep climbing the charts the stations would soon lose interest.

‘Paradise’ was number one in Sydney and Melbourne, but the owner of the big radio station in Adelaide didn’t like the song and had decided not to play it.

Back in ‘87 the Kent Music Report, compiled by enthusiast David Kent, was the weekly record sales chart.

Kent and his staff would collect sales data from certain record shops, known as ‘charting stores’. Friends and fans of The Choirboys visited these stores to purchase multiple copies

A

Issue 15 - Spring 2018

of the record. Michael Gudinski, who ran both Mushroom Records and Frontier Touring, flexed his ‘marketing muscle’, also helping to keep the song ‘alive’ in the charts.

The band’s drummer, Lindsay Tebbutt, believes Gudinski told the owner of the Adelaide radio station he’d keep the big overseas acts out of Adelaide venues if the song wasn’t played. It soon went to number one in that town.

Though the band never again reached the heady heights of ‘Paradise’, they’re still rocking hard and pulling crowds whenever they perform. If you get the chance, check out these seasoned rock ‘n’ rollers for yourself.

Boys just wanna have fun: (from top) filming the Run to Paradise clip at the Hordern 1987, Lindsay with boombox in 1989, and performing at Winton Raceway in Vic 2017

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