ENTERTAINMENT
LIVE MUSIC CONTINUED
INDIGENOUS BOOMERANG BLUESFEST From folk to hip-hop and timeless classics, the Indigenous music circuit is incredibly strong right now. And Bluesfest are excited to announce eight fantastic Indigenous acts performing at Bluesfest along with Boomerang Festival this Easter long weekend. Acts include Baker Boy, Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi & the Treaty Project, Mojo Juju, Benny Walker, Mission Songs Project, Dallas Woods and Brotherhood of Blues. Commenting on the announcement, Festival Director Peter Noble OAM said, ‘We have had the honour of being able to give some pretty big Indigenous musicians a slot on the Bluesfest stages over the years. Our Indigenous festival within Bluesfest – Boomerang Festival – is being called “A line-up of the best Indigenous artists” by some and we are extremely proud to announce that they will all rock the house across our stages at Bluesfest this Easter.’ ‘We believe that not only is it critical we present an Indigenous festival, but also that we present these artists across the biggest stages of the festival. Their music and dance is an imperative part of all of us, whether we are aware of it or not, and at this time, when Indigenous Australian music is breaking through on so many levels. The talent coming through with Indigenous Australian musicians is incredible. We will be rocking the house all over at Bluesfest’s 30th Anniversary this Easter – have your dancing shoes ready!’ For full line up and tix go to bluesfest.com.au
CELEBRATE THE 70S It’s time to pop on your platforms, pull on some polyester, slip on some sequins and brush up on your best ‘70s dance moves. Alive In The 70s, a Sydney-based band that celebrates all the groovy hits of the seventies, is coming to town. They’ll be playing at the Ballina RSL Bowling Club this Saturday – with dinner as part of the ticket package for the show. This six-piece bunch of groovers are known for their rollicking, high-energy shows that quickly pull an audience from their seats and fill the dance floor. The band is fronted by soulmate vocalists, Mama Cath, a child of the ‘70s who has lived, loved, lost, turned a few heads and now sings all about it alongside soulsamatic vocalist, Papa Pan, larger than life and guaranteed to rock you to your roots. From ABBA to ACDC, Boz Scaggs to the Bee Gees and Hot Chocolate to Hush, Alive In The 70s covers the full spectrum of hits from the ‘70s. At the Ballina RSL on Saturday at 7.30pm. Tix $39 at ballinarsl.com.au.
MISS AMBER & STUKULELE’S
UKE NIGHT
BACK TO BASICS
Clelia Adams
Chris Cook
THU 28 MARCH 2019 CLUB MULLUM FROM 6.30PM BYO UKULELE ENTRY: ADULT $15.00 YTH (5 – 15 YEARS) $2.50
SONGBOOKS AVAILABLE THROUGH WWW.UKEMULLUM.COM
40 The Byron Shire Echo March 13, 2019
VAMPIRES IN TOWN Two years on from their highly praised work The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke, The Vampires return with a new offering: Pacifica. The Vampires are trailblazers for a new generation of creative jazz talent from Australia, having gained critical attention worldwide by pushing the genre into new realms. Creating a distinctive sound that is undoubtedly their own, Pacifica sees The Vampires return to the classic chord-less quartet format. The new album is an evolution of the band’s sound, leaning further into recording production. Fourteen new tracks feature the band’s primary compositional voices of saxophonist Jeremy Rose and trumpeter Nick Garbett, whilst adding exciting new tracks for the first time by bassist Alex Boneham and drummer Alex Masso. Over 53 minutes, Pacifica extends what’s gone before, weaving the band’s diverse world-roots jazz stylistic influences together with subtle delicacy, bringing together moments of spontaneity and composition to dramatic affect. ‘Our music has always been about creating snapshots: places we’ve been to, people we’ve met, musical cultures that fascinated us, drawing from all corners of the world,’ says Jeremy Rose. ‘I feel now that this process is merging, becoming more of the same thing, more authentic for us. In
some ways, we are just starting to find our own voice, and this album gets closer to that.’ The album also expands their use of instruments with prominent features of Alex Masso’s percussion, Alex Boneham’s electric bass, with small doses of piano and drum machine. Masso says, ‘We followed our instinct on this album, often letting the group decide creatively, leading us into unexpected places. It’s as though we weren’t making decisions on our own; rather, the band’s concept led the music rather than ourselves. We felt more comfortable taking advantage of the production too, using effects, different sounds and extensive multitracking. This has become part of our compositional process now as much as writing a good melody.’ With the band now living in different parts of the world – Alex Boneham is an established presence in Los Angeles whilst Nick Garbett lives in Lampedusa, Italy (where the eerie yet beautiful cover art images of the shipwreck yard were taken), Pacifica is as much a celebration of the band coming together as it is about their deep, long-standing musical kinship. They play the Byron Theatre at the Community Centre on Friday at 7.30pm. Tix at byroncentre.com.au.
FEELING DZ DZ DEATHRAYS, AKA THE LORDS OF SHRED, ARE ON THE MOVE WITH AN UPCOMING REGIONAL TOUR THAT BRINGS THEM BACK TO ONE OF THEIR FAVOURITE HAUNTS, BYRON BAY. LAST TIME THEY WERE IN THE AREA THEY SHARED THE STAGE WITH THE RED WIGGLE! I’m intrigued by the story of Murray, the ‘Red Wiggle’, joining you on stage at Splendour in the Grass... can you tell me more? Well, Murray was in our video for Like People so we thought it would be a fun idea to get him on stage with us to play that song plus a cover. We have always known how much of a shredder Muz is on guitar so it was always destined to be a fun time. What were the highlights for you guys in 2018? I think turning ten as a band. We did some of the biggest shows of our career on our ten-year tour and the shows were really special. Tell me about playing the Enmore? The Enmore is amazing. It’s one of my favourite (and local) venues. It really feels more like a festival stage when you’re up there! How important has the festival circuit been for you guys finding your audience? Do you see a big upswing in followers after an event like Splendour? Of course, festivals are the shows where I feel like we make some new fans. People who haven’t had the chance to see
us or are just getting in to us. It’s nice to hear from people who first saw us at Splendour then return to catch a club show later down the track. Tell me about recording Bloody Lovely? What feel were you going for? Are you working towards a full album this year, or do you prefer going with LPs? It feels like the way music works these days is that, as awesome as an album is, the format is almost part of our nostalgia for how things have always been done. Bloody Lovely was all about trying to bring a bit more of our live sound to record. We have already recorded the next one, a shorter album, but it’s a part of a bigger project. You will have to wait and see! I think albums are still important in rock music but I think the audience has lost their attention for a 16 track album. Whats the essence of a cracking live set for DZ? An enthusiastic crowd and the three of us really locking in on stage. Doesn’t matter if it gets a bit rowdy and mistakes are made, as long as we can all follow each other’s lead then we usually feel like that’s a great show. What should we expect from your gig at the Northern? I have a feeling, especially after the shows already on this tour, that the Byron show will be pretty crazy. I’m hoping for that festival feel in that band room. Also, make sure you’re there early to catch Wharves and Moaning Lisa, they are excellent bands!! DZ Deathrays play the Hotel Great Northern on Saturday from 9pm. Tix $40.30
North Coast news daily in Echonetdaily www.echo.net.au