Soler powered connection Since returning home this year, Andrea has become known as a passionate, spontaneous and engaging performer, and has impressed audiences and gained fans through her live shows at festivals around the country including The National Folk Festival, The 2010 Blue Mountains Music Festival, D’Alliance Festival, Fete De La Musique, and The Mullumbimby Music Festival. Connection is what Andrea’s about. Sure, her songs are experiential, and mostly personal, but there’s a worldliness and sense of bonding with both audience and this big ball we live on which creates a warmth that’s hard not to be sucked into. Let’s just say her live performances can be captivating – it’s hard to remain unaffected by her flair and joy and inclusiveness. Perhaps it’s that, or maybe her compelling vocals and insightful lyrics, but Andrea has a distinctive sound and feel. Inspired by the passionate joie de vivre of her French ancestry, she exudes, in part, an upbeat European feel, yet all the while maintaining her own take on the indie folk idiom she inhabits. Currumbin Soundlounge Friday.
THE LUCKY WONDERS HIT THE SHEOAK SHACK ON SUNDAY
Apart from one other gig at the Brisbane Jazz Club, the band’s only other performances outside of Bellingen have been with the Tweed Valley Jazz Club – so don’t miss the opportunity to get into the festive spirit with the wonderful Wizards of Jazz at the Condong Bowls Club Friday.
by Ma ndy N olan
Starry, snappy Nite Come and sample Nitestar this weekend. This tight and snappy three-piece serve up a rock smorgasbord, providing an unusual blend of musical flavours. Star on bass and vocals drives Nitestar through an evening of great tunes with her spinetingling voice. Accompanied by Mr D on guitar and the beats of The Roostar on drums. Nitestar Friday Bilambil Sports Club and Saturday at the Murwillumbah Hotel.
soap box See Mandy live at www.echonetdaily.net.au
WHEN THE THOUGHT NO LONGER COUNTS Next week I will be attending my brother’s wedding. When I first received the invitation I was excited. I started brainstorming what I’d wear, how much weight I’d lose before the big reveal at the family occasion (I put on 5 kilos!) and what gift I might buy him and his new wife. It was important to get something that not only commemorated their special day but also was useful, beautiful and amazing. I had just finished ordering a his-and-hers snuggie set complete with built-in reading light when I read the small print on the invitation. My snuggie surprise was cut short by an account with the Flight Centre requesting monies be deposited for a holiday. Geez, that’s bloody specific. It’s less of a gift and more of a direct order. How do you open up a gift that you have demanded from someone and managed to look surprised? ‘Oh thank you!’ Money. Hmm, $50. It’s embarrassing. A good gift is mysterious, you can’t really work out how much money was dropped in its purchase. A cash deposit, however, with your name against it makes it pretty clear. Anything under $100 and you are a tightarse. Pardon me for being rude but I always thought that people gave you money when they couldn’t be fucked making an effort to go shopping and actually think about what you might like. Whatever happened to going to a wedding and buying a gift inspired by the couple? I don’t think I’ve been to one like that, including my own, in the last 10 years. Used to be you wouldn’t know what you were getting: a painting, a pottery urn, a black leather jacuzzi. Present time was the guest’s time to shine. It was your chance to give your friends or family a little piece of you. Something they were expected to keep no matter how ugly it is and how much they hate it. You see, sometimes things aren’t necessarily attractive, or even useful. Their
FIFTEEN MINUTES of FAME CHRISTMAS SPECIAL DECEMBER 2ND – 7PM
FEATURING LOCAL STOKERS TALENT: Circus, Jazz, Song, Folk, Rock, Harmonies, Comedy and more
Special Meal plus Admission $20 Meal Bookings essential Rhonda 6677 9027 or at the shop.
www.tweedecho.com.au
NITESTAR LIGHT UP THE BILAMBIL SPORTS CLUB ON FRIDAY AND THE MURWILLUMBAH HOTEL ON SATURDAY
value is purely sentimental. The personality of the gift giver lives on long after the friendship is diminished. My partner still has six ugly cocktail glasses from his 21st. He refuses to let me garage sale them. So every now and then I must accidentally drop them when I’m washing up. Now people just want cash or white towels. Egyptian cotton sheets. A new flatscreen TV. I don’t know about you but fronting up to David Jones to see what’s left on the gift register is about as spontaneous as planning to have sex on the third Sunday of every month. It’s so calculated it’s no longer interesting. Or meaningful. The definition of a gift is something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. Being told what to buy and where to get it is insulting. It’s like your nearest and dearest are telling you that your taste is in your arse and there is no way they would want to accept any unsolicited item from a cheap arse like you. I mean so what if your wedding booty delivers three toasters, a lime green Italian kettle and Robert Welsh Bakeware and none of it matches! Oh my god, what if the contents of your home are new but mismatched and not exactly what you would have chosen yourself! We’re not living in catalogues. You can’t just tell people what you want from them. This whole gift register is a metaphor for what self-centred spoilt little pricks we are all becoming. Giving like receiving should be unconditional. Isn’t that the purpose of a gift? Isn’t it supposed to be something that you wouldn’t have bought yourself because surely if you would have bought it yourself you would have already had it. And as for three toasters, the more the merrier. I reckon the average home burns through one toaster every two to three years, so if you want to still be browning your crusts a decade from now you better hope for five. There’s something immensely creative about buying a gift. You have to spend time thinking about it. You have to drive to the shops. You have to find a parking space. You have to get out the car and walk around and around looking at objects for a few hours until a certain object speaks to you. And I guess that’s why I ended up buying the 1950s concrete kangaroo lawn ornament. Life should be a surprise. Otherwise there’s just no point. Subvert the dominant gift registries. S TAT I O N S T R E E T S T U D I O S P R ES E N T S
end of the line
FIVE ARTISTS, FIVE SENSIBILITIES, ONE WEEKEND ONLY Multimedia art event to take you to the end of the line and back Nathalie Verdejo, Frida Lezius, Cristina Sharratt, Steve Waller, Hannah Massey
Opening 6pm Friday 9 December with music by Stu Beaumont 10am–4pm, Saturday & Sunday 10th & 11th December
Station Street Studios, cnr Mill & Station streets, Mullumbimby
DON’T MISS VICTORIANA GAYE AT THE SHEOAK SHACK ON SATURDAY
Weekender is on a roll Victoriana Gaye have managed to play every weekend and more for the last two years running! They are on a long roll that now sees them going straight from The Natimuk Fringe Festival to the Mullumbimby Festival with gigs a go-go there and back. Sometimes whimsical, sometimes romantic and sometimes rockin’, Victoriana Gaye describe their sound as a quirky combination of pop and folk with a tiny bit of grunge. The couple play a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, trumpet, ukulele, harmonica and sweet harmonies. Husband and wife duo Vicki Gaye Philipp and Jeff Raglus (Bachelors from Prague, Black Sorrows, The Beachniks) have packed a lot into the fours years since they formed. Recording an EP 5 Songs in 2009. Touring and playing their original tunes at festivals and venues in Japan and Australia. They released the debut album Our Pleasure in 2010 through Vitamin records. Vicki is known for her original theatrical shows. As well as being a well-known musician Jeff is a popular visual artist, having many solo exhibitions and was part of the Mambo team for most of the nineties. Sheoak Shack Saturday.
Live Music continued over page
program guide
NEW SUMMER PERIOD NOV 1 2011 – 30 APR 2012
MONDAY 6am The Morning Mix Kabes 9am The Lighthouse Lounge Andrew & Pollyanna 11am Belly BellySisters 12pm Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond Hunna & Lara 1pm That’s Amore The Italians 2pm Q’s Jazz ‘n Blues Quentin Watts 4pm Cruizy Beatz DJ Cruizy 6pm Grailey Whole Celtic Show Margaret Wyatt 8pm Sounds of Africa DJ Massaganda 10pm Freedom Run Callum TUESDAY 6am Clockwise Gary Street 9am Under Construction Sarah Ndiaye & Gina Baker 11am Byron Business Phil Daly 12pm Wirritjin Terra Nullus 2pm The Music Garden Michael Brereton 4pm Below the Radar The Invisible Man 6pm Post Modern Backlash Hudson 8pm Radio Mundial Steve Snelgrove 10pm Shel’s Place Shel Kronich WEDNESDAY 6am Catch and Grab DJ Holly Holster 9am 2481 Undone Nicqui Yazdi 11am Go Earthcare Ros Elliott 12pm Suara Indonesia Francesca & Kirana 1pm Afternoon Tea Party Adelaide & Fai 2pm The Junkyard Stuey 4pm Olylamas Beanbag Olylama 6pm Bongo Gum Brett Diemar 8pm Basswize/Good times Crucial D/Big B 10pm All Funked Up Mr Mantiki 12am Live from Earth Dane
THURSDAY 6am Planet Luv Glitter 9am Arts Canvass Karena 11am Bohemian Beat Riddhi 12pm Juke Joint Tony Parker 2pm Audio Chocolate Rich 4pm Future Classics Matt Meir 6pm Crossroads Paul Martin 8pm Cruisin’ for a Bluesin’ The Honeydripper 10pm Booty Call Lainie 12am Gimme Shelter Rockstar Fee FRIDAY 6am That Friday Feeling Nicky 9am The Spin Cycle Karin Kolbe 11am Page Turners/ Pip Morrissey Social Savvy Networking Russell & Maxim 12pm Mystery Train Mary Cannon 1pm Whirled Music Phil Hirst 2pm Grooveyard Teesha & Nilesh 4pm The Village Manie 6pm Chopsuey Rachy 8pm Submerged/Down & Out Si Clone/Slinky 10pm Rotation/B-BoyMixers POB/Elixza SATURDAY 6am Bay Rock Tark 8am Musical Kaleidoscope Jill 10am Cowboy’s Sweetheart Carrie D 12pm Blues from the Bay Anthony & Ken 2pm Paris Cat Alley Lou 4pm The Festival Express Tegs 5pm Radio Re-Generation Mother & Child 6pm Random Rhythms Ashgirl 8pm Diggin in the Archives Undertaker & Joan of Arc 10pm In the Vaults/ Matt Wardle/ The Hypnagogic State Ice Creme Kid SUNDAY 7am Astro Alchemy Iris & Michael 8am Sounds of the 60’s Alan E. 10am Jazz Moods Jean Brown 12pm Omnibus RG Pedicini & Les Schmidt 2pm Radio Latina Yolanda, Salvador & David 4pm The Bay Lounge aqua 6pm Roots & Culture DJ Selector 8pm Ice Cream Truck Fulton Hobbs 10pm The Space Between Mr Hugs
COMMUNITY RADIO BAY-FM 99.9 www.bayfm.org Phone: 6680 7999 The Tweed Shire Echo December 1, 2011 15