Mint (issue 11) January 2016

# 11 • january 2016

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SETH SENTRY

SORRENTO SUPERSTAR MAKES HIS WAY BACK TO THE PENINSULA

THE ELECTRIC CHURCH

RAINBOW SERPENT

DALLAS CRANE

CARMELA D’AMORE

MICHALA BANAS

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SETH SENTRY MANTRA // IVAN OOZE PLUS LATE NIGHT DJS

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...WHAT IS MOTH?

By Terri Lee Fatouros

MUSIC on the Hill – or MOTH – is a new monthly music venue in Red Hill that brings great Australian talent to one of Victoria’s most popular regional areas.

Presenting a variety of national and international touring and recording artists who are supported by the best local talent, MOTH is a venue with a difference. It features a capacity of 100, an intimately comfortable atmosphere, excellent sound quality and soft lighting – all ensuring that the music is the focus.

(If Good Friday falls on the first Friday, then MOTH will be held the following day).

Tickets are $20 for adult MOTH members and $25 for non-members, $10 for children MOTH members and $15 for children non-members (17 years and under) and are available via TryBooking, or

using the QR code on the left. MOTH memberships can be purchased from the membership page of MOTH website or the right QR code below.

industry, including Rob Snarski (1 Jan), David Bridie (5 February), Sally Seltmann on International Women’s Day (4 March), and Mick Thomas in July.

MOTH is hosted by and supports Red Hill sporting clubs and proceeds go to the artists, equipment hire and local community initiatives. One such initiative was a year-long music scholarship for a deserving music student from Dromana College.

Also appearing will be plenty of talented newcomers and, as always, every MOTH will be opened by a Peninsula-based act – there’s a strong commitment to showcasing local artists.

Throughout 2016, MOTH will host some well-known names from the music

Music on the Hill will be happening in the Red Hill Pavilion at the Red Hill Showgrounds, located at 184 Arthurs Seat Rd, Red Hill.

For a full run-down of the next MOTH, check out www.musiconthehill.com.au.

N NI G

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The organisers, who are Red Hill locals, have created a welcoming and friendly environment where accomplished singer songwriters perform to music lovers in

an intimate setting. They aim to develop a warm, social atmosphere and nurture a genuine music club feel, with the event taking place on the first Friday of every month.

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16 SETH SENTRY 35 SOCIAL KNITWORK

DALLAS CRANE MICHALA BANAS

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THE ELECTRIC CHURCH 9 INDIGENOUS HIP HOP 22

THE WHISKY GYPSIES

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RAINBOW SERPENT

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...INSIDE

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Like the disposable calendar you just recycled, things are changing here at MINT. My name’s Billy, and I’ll be using the fortune and good tidings of the year ahead to bring a little spark to MINT. We’ll be adding new content each month and strengthening the way we connect with readers like you socially.

A music, arts, events & entertainment magazine for the Peninsula & Bayside.

PUBLISHER: Cameron McCullough editor@mintmagazine.com.au

EDITOR: Billy Dixon billy@mintmagazine.com.au ARTS EDITOR: Andrea Louise Thomas artseditor@mintmagazine.com.au

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Maria Mirabella creative@mintmagazine.com.au

SALES & ADVERTISING: Nicky Vassiliou 0433 330 490 nicky@mpnews.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY Gary Sissons Yanni ...& you?

MINT is available in over 1,000 outlets and growing, from Sandringham to Portsea and everywhere in between. For advertising enquiries, visit us at 1/2 Tyabb Road, Mornington, 3931, or contact Nicky Vassiliou on 0433 330 490 or nicky@mpnews.com.au

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WRITING Terri Lee Fatouros terri@mintmagazine.com.au Greg Fisher greg@mintmagazine.com.au Lachlan Bryan lachlan@mintmagazine.com.au Ray McGrotty ray@mintmagazine.com.au Stuart McCullough stuart@mintmagazine.com.au Neil Walker neil@mintmagazine.com.au

Right now, unsigned artists are using Soundcloud, MySpace and even Facebook to get a leg-up in their extended social circles. No longer will Richard Kingsmill enforce his musical monopoly through the all-encompassing brilliance of Triple J, muhahah! People are unearthing themselves, right now, all over the country.

More often than not, New Year’s Eve ends up a huge disappointment, no matter what your evening’s plans. Meeting some pals in the city? Long odds on getting a cab. Booked in at a well-marketed venue? Security will be gagging to eject you before get in.

My NYE was spent at a kitch little bar called RIVA, right on the marina in St. Kilda. But with scotch & sodas at $12 each and a couple of espresso martinis, my $120 budget wasn’t even close to adequate.

It was a veritable festival of flesh, with no shortage of bump’n’grind. People exposed themselves. My shoes filled with sand, my jacket with sweat and my head with filthy beats, courtesy of DJ Katt Niall.

Then, suddenly, it was over, and we took an

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Uber through Maccas before retiring to our digs in St. Kilda. That surge pricing is real, people, and it hurts!

In spite of all this, these nights are more about the company you keep, and mine was golden. For the rest of 2016, myself and the team will be bringing you the best the industry has to offer, from the tiny and undiscovered to the phenomenal and global.

And now, let’s build an entertainment mecca that’s mint in every sense.

Billy Dixon Your new editor for MINT bayside & mornington peninsula

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SUMMERTIME MADNESS Globe to Globe, Mordialloc Food, Wine & Music and more...

By Terri Lee Fatouros THE annual music festivals, Globe to Globe World Music Festival and The Mordialloc Food and Wine Festival are back, bigger and better for 2016, thanks once again to the City of Kingston.

and blues. Lately, Harts has become known for his Hendrix-like guitar playing, earning him praises from Prince, Ross Wilson and Richard Kingsmill to name a few. It’s a dogfree event, with alcohol sold inside.

Globe To Globe will be held on Australia Day and will showcase the very best in world music as well as a range of dance, craft workshops, cuisine from around the globe, rides, entertainment and a spectacular fireworks finale.

Australia Day, 11am – 10pm @ Namatjira Park, Clayton South.

Darren Hart, better known as Harts is the feature artist at this year’s festival. He is a musician, singer-songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, composer and music producer from Melbourne. His music has been described as dance-oriented, alternative rock and electronic indie, blending elements of funk, post-disco, psychedelic rock, soul, new romanticism

As for the Mordialloc Food, Wine & Music Festival, prepare for two days of actionpacked blues and contemporary music featuring Bonjah, Brian Cadd, Grace Knight, Geoff Achison, Eugene Hideaway Bridges and more.

The weekend is filled with yummy foods, craft and food demonstrations, wine tastings, rides and funky non-stop music.

Saturday March 5th, 11am – Sunday March 6th, 5pm @ Peter Scullin Reserve.

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FEAR & LOATHING @ RAINBOW SERPENT  PART 1

By Billy Dixon MELBOURNE’S insatiable festival circuit was ravaged by the recent loss of Soundwave.

According to organisers, Soundwave died on a bed of “poor ticket sales.” Margins were already pretty tight, and with the shedload of other multi-act and multi-day events on offer at this time of year, punters just couldn’t squeeze Soundwave in as a priority.

This comes off the back of the violent, ugly death of Big Day Out a year earlier. Almost immediately after being purchased by an American promoter, they announced the end of the festival. Why would anyone buy a business worth millions of dollars in goodwill alone and a kick-ass mainstream lineup, just to shut its doors? It beats us, but we can only assume the books might have been in worse shape than the vendor let on.

It’s like a bubble has popped – the Great Festival Crash (GFC) of 2014, and like the GFC before it, the ramifications will continue to unfold over many years. There’s still a lot on offer, with phenomenal events like Stereosonic, Splendour in the Grass, the Aussie-as-hell Homebake festival and of course, Falls over New Year’s Eve. Nonetheless, if music is a big part of your life and you’re not opposed to sleeping rough, there’s never been a better time to experience the hyper-concentrated cultural melting pot of the Rainbow Serpent festival. music  arts  events  entertainment

I’ve been working on a solid list of hangover remedies, many of which have alcohol as the first (and second, and third) ingredients, and I’ve set up temporary accommodation… in my car. Leather seats and all. Good morning, relentless Australian sun.

I will, of course, be taking my camera, a number of buddies and a positive attitude.

Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to claim the tickets as a tax write-off for MINT! Our telepathic hive-mind is designing the campsite as we speak – comfort is high of the list of priorities, so we’ve enlisted friends in the demolition business to provide couches, rugs and a fully-functioning Margherita station. We’ve even invested in a communal bicycle.

There are also a number of quirky rules that’ll make feeding a mentally-intensive activity. Refrigeration is essential but cooking stoves and fires are strictly forbidden, posing an interesting challenge on how to stay hydrated and nutrified without breaking the budget or starting a fire the state of Victoria will remember for decades. I’m only too happy to take the organisers’ advice on this one, but for brekky I’m thinking cereal and long-life milk (or perhaps Irish Crème), chased with tuna for lunch and an overpriced but hopefully well-crafted local cuisine for evening eats. Glass is also forbidden, so I spent the weekend prior to the festival

skewering miniature pickles and pre-grinding salt and pepper. If the only dishes on offer are potato cakes and chiko rolls, I’m going to be extremely upset.

Unless you don’t read the news, you’ll be well aware of the fact that many people go to these events to party, and party hard.

Everyone has their own way of doing it, and not all of it’s legal, or even safe. Every social clique develops a stereotype for every other social clique – bogans, hippies, metal-heads, the rave crowd and so on. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Part of the reason I chose Rainbow Serpent was the promise of this forced cultural amalgamation, with no one “type,” if there is such a thing, dominating the crowd. We’re all going to be interacting with each other whether we like it or not, and hopefully the resulting adventure will be courteous yet outrageous, as well as plain ol’ fun.

We’ll arrive on Thursday afternoon – the gates open at midday. The primary objective is to beat the phenomenal queues of cars these events attract. Spending any more than one hour in standstill traffic on cheap leather will be unpleasant, to say the least. The campsite will be functional by mid-afternoon and the party will begin, light shows and art installations will come alive and the beats will echo over the rolling plains of country Victoria.

I’m personally ripe with anticipation at what, if any, Burning Man-style effigies will show up over the weekend, and the manner of their subsequent destruction. While the lineup in musical terms is primarily electronic, there’ll also be a number of tents and spaces where one can safely chill out, resting a beat-weary head. Art, clothes and food from any and all corners of the globe will be on sale from market stalls. The sleepy town of Lexton, a stone’s throw from Ballarat, will find itself at the epicentre of modern counter-culture as its population swells by 15,000, with ambitious philosophers and music-lovers visitors from all over the country, and even a few from offshore. The social air should be thick with ambient love, if my sources are accurate.

And so, in the timeless gonzo style of Hunter S. Thompson, I’ll be immersing myself in the action on behalf of you, dearest reader. Find out what went on, up down and sideways, who rocked and who rolled, complete with pictures and a live Snapchat feed from the festival, in February’s edition of MINT. I promise you, it will be interesting. Rock hard but party safe, people.

“Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.” - Hunter S. Thompson

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THE ELECTRIC CHURCH UNPLUGGED AND UP CLOSE

By Terri Lee Fatouros THINK your rock might be lacking gutsy grunge blues, or your passion for it withering? Then atone, my friends, and get yourself down to soul repenting, mystical “shakin & rockin” blues rock with The Electric Church.

With eccentric mastermind Baron Franco on lead vocals/guitar as the charismatic front man of the band, flavoured by bassist, Jesse Ingram and interchanging with their tight new rhythmic drummer, Paul Fiddes, and playing in the style of “New Blues-based Alternative Rock,” you’ll be impressed with the funky, raw, and gritty rocking blues the Electric Church is churning out.

The Electric Church is a tight, hard-core three-piece outfit playing well versed, hard hitting originals laced with cool blues that have been written by Franco and smacks with convincing life experiences, as only good blues can.

Says Franco, “I’ll take you on a trip and journey to a new plain of music and thought, and bring you back with new learning and changed perspective. The lyrics speak to you with a resonating internal dialogue leaving you feeling like “I’ve been there,” “I’ve felt that,” or “I’ve done that too.”

Franco feels their powerful hooking riffs, rising crescendos, plummeting falls and sense-filling rhythms come together really well for their three-piece ensemble. “Blues being the basis of which this new universe is created, maintaining the tradition, but ‘taking it somewhere new’ to explore its parameters.”

Some of the lyrical features of Franco’s writing, like New and Old Love, The Road Travelled and The Shadow Man draws from cultural beliefs, grounding them in modern

music  arts  events  entertainment

times.

Songs like Daddy’s Gotta Roll take you back in time to the possibility of a ’70s New York scene of a struggling family dealing with a gambling addicted father.

Combined with the wah-wah of a guitar, the smooth grooving bass line and a rim-shot drum all add to this trip of a ’70s sounding song.

Says Franco, “Elements of hard funk are also part of the Electric Church’s musical offerings, while still maintaining the synergy between blues and rock.”

The Electric Church is based in Melbourne

and is poised at the event horizon of their explosion into the colourful landscape of Melbourne’s live music scene.

Their blues, rock and funky sound with original compositions is refreshing and invigorating, injecting innovative groove into their tunes.

The band is gaining awesome notoriety as a hard-hitting, funky blues, no nonsense outfit.

With extensive gigging around the burbs, Mornington Peninsula, inner Melbourne and greater Geelong, the intensity of Electric Church will scorch unless adequately protected by a beer in hand.

Recently, their sizzling sounds got the attention of the Kustoms National Hot Rod Show organisers, which is held annually at Phillip Island. The three-day event in January hosted an array of modified and customised vehicles along with exhibits, displays and great bands like The Electric Church to entertain the masses.

The Electric Church is making huge headway presenting a refreshing yet innovative twist on blues/rock, with a trace of funk in original material performed.

A band worth keeping an eye on, that’s for sure.

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THE BLUES HIP JIVE DANCE PARTY IS COMING TO TOWN

By Terri Lee Fatouros ARE you a blues fan, do you like swing-dance, want to rock out and have a bloody good time?

Then you had better get yourself down to Eddies Band Room (EBR) on Saturday, 30 January at 8pm.

Be prepared to shake those hips, groove and jive all night long and rock out with a great mix of cool blues and jiving swing rock with the fabulously talented Peter Jackson of The Jackson Four fame, as well as guitar virtuoso, Andy Phillips of Cadillac Walk fame, blending together for the first time.

This event is going to be one hell of a ride and if you’ve been fortunate in the past to catch either of these great talents then you know just how worthy their music is and how extraordinary it will be seeing them perform together.

Blues-hip-jive will be a four hour show that

promises something for everyone who likes to dance and party, you’ll have abundant music, a spacious dance floor and a well stocked bar to drink from. There might even be a couple of giveaways, with a few surprises thrown in.

Eddies Band Room also houses professional pool tables, amusement machines, a jukebox with all the latest up to date music; an internal smoking lounge boasting TV screens and has snack meals and great coffee.

So keep Saturday, 30 January free and be at Eddies Band Room, 168 Chesterville Road, Moorrabbin at 8pm. Best of all, entry is free!

For inquiries please contact Heidi on 0409 783 881, or Peter on 0419 230 860. You can email them at blueshipjive@gmail.com, or jump on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ blueshipjive

ARTIST PROFILE: DARREN HART

By Billy Dixon DARREN Hart, better known as Harts, is a musician, singersongwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and music producer from Melbourne. Often labelled as “a one man music making machine”, he writes everything, plays all the instruments, records and produces all his music singlehandedly in his bedroom studio.

Spending the past few years developing his sound, Harts has become known for his Jimi Hendrix-like guitar playing and unique blend of Funk, Pop, Rock and Soul music, which has earned him praise worldwide.

He’s headlining the Kingston City Globe to Globe World Music Festival this year, so get down to Clayton South for a musical and cultural extravaganza you don’t want to miss!

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DALLAS CRANE ANNOUNCES SCOUNDRELS TOUR

By Billy Dixon

SOMEWHERE back in 1996, a stupid conversation took place between four young blokes in a dusty oil shed on the trucking yards of Port Melbourne’s Dallas Crane Transport that went something like, “so ya reckon we could do this for a living?”

and no audience left anything other than completely satisfied with what they had just witnessed for the last hour and a bit. Even You Am I’s Tim Rogers had them down as his favourite band, immortalising them in their song Who Put The Devil In You?

Almost 20 years later, Dallas Crane have become a not only a lauded constituent of the Australian rock ‘n roll scene, but a trendproof mainstay that continues to exhilarate audiences wherever they bloody well set foot!

After some more-than-healthy Triple J support in the early part of the millennium, the band were chased down by legendary Australian label Albert Productions (AC/DC, The Easybeats,) to come and add to their already killer legacy by laying down some choice cuts over two albums; one of their first rock signings in many years.

Some used to call them, “Australia’s hardest working band,” playing their guts out to anyone who’d listen, in which most cases was a packed out pub anywhere around Australia. They gave everything every time you saw them; no microphone left unscolded, no denim jacket left un-soaked

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Their first offering, Dallas Crane / Dallas Crane was so well received, it even had Australian Idol’s Mark Holden begrudgingly asking the question, ‘who the hell are these guys, and how are they getting triple ARIA

Award nominations?’

A little time away from the scene after their Australian tour with The Who in 2009 meant not a lot of activity for Dallas Crane over the last couple of years, but if their brand new long player Scoundrels is anything to go by, the Crane faithful can rest easy knowing that none of that original pent-up verve and vigor went missing in their brief sabbatical.

Recorded throughout 2014-2015 at Melbourne’s Hothouse Audio with Craig Harnath and engineering whiz-kid Jez Giddings, Scoundrels rounds up some of the band’s finest works to date with songs like The Sunnyside and Disillusioned proving just how gloriously majestic two guitars can be in front of a driving rhythm section.

The revitalised songwriting effort has yielded

ten time-hardy gems on an extremely solid return-to-form release from the band. Dave Larkin’s Come To Light and The Good Times demonstrates the band is far from done with it’s penchant for the splendid epic, whilst guitarist/singer Pete Satchell adds his own gentler touch on the compelling and beautiful Lucky Me. “Scoundrels” showcases a new level of sophistication in the band’s songwriting, not slowing in vitality or intrigue until the very last note. It’s become available to the wider public through the band’s own Nylon Sounds label.

Scoundrels tour dates will be announced soon. In the mean time, check out www. dallascrane.com.au for details or ticketing information.

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MIDDLETON COMES TO MORNINGTON

By Melissa Walsh

THIS Australia Day, Mornington will experience the incredible talents of Darren Middleton, best known for his contributions to the legacy of Australian music as the guitarist in iconic Brisbane band Powderfinger who took the nation by storm dominating the Australian charts from their humble beginnings in 1992, right up until their disbanding in 2010. Middleton will grace the Mornington stage with violinist Kelly Lane from Skipping Girl Vinegar, belting out a selection of tunes.

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“I am really looking forward to hitting the peninsula as I haven’t been there for quite some time,” says Middleton, who has previously visited Sorrento. “I love doing smaller gigs now I have stepped into my solo career as they are so different from my Powderfinger days.”

unique stories that join together in creating a solid body of work that has as much depth as the strongest of heartwood. The album is relatable and touches on many themes and relationships; the relationship we have with our inner self, friends, lovers, in business, the world and society.

Middleton has recently released his album Splinters, a follow up to his 2013 full length debut solo album Translations.

“All of our life is a relationship, an ever evolving and changing landscape of security, safety, hurdles, loss and discovery and both with Translations and Splinters, I am basically looking at my journey so far and

With each new song on the new album, Darren sheds a splinter of his soul, carving

laying it bare in songs,” says Middleton.

“When I write now it is like I have zoomed in and taken a snapshot of my own personal existence. It is a great time in my life to be able to play this music to smaller audiences in more intimate settings.”

Middleton will be playing a range of songs from albums, old band stuff and possibly some covers on Australia Day. “I don’t have set list, just see how we feel at the time and the feel of the audience,” says Middleton. bayside & mornington peninsula

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SETH SENTRY

By Billy Dixon their community roots. For Seth, that’s gaming and skating. Konami’s latest entry, Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain (starring Kiefer Sutherland) was passing the time until his game bugged out and he lost his progress. Enter, Star Wars Battlefront…unfortunately, that’s about all the info you’ll get from Wikipedia – he’s even managed to keep his date of birth hidden, apparently unintentionally.

But even Seth Sentry needs to leave the house for inspiration. No longer able to “skate the park” in Frankston, he’s sought adrenaline through 10,000-strong crowds at festivals like Falls. “I still skate, but everything hurts now!

Apart from the fact I just broke my foot recently, when I fall off a skateboard these days everything is in pain.” A good enough reason to stick to the festival crowds, although he notes the different ambience in such an arena compared to a one-night headline act.

WHEN you career begins in the furthest corners of a sleepy seaside village, nearly two hours from the centre of Melbourne, you’re going to have to put in some serious legwork if the rest of the world’s going to recognise you.

Seth Morton lived on the Mornington Peninsula for nearly 20 years before a career in music beckoned him elsewhere. A small market that seemed to cater exclusively to cover bands and a general lack of industry saw the Peninsula of the mid-2000s unable to cater for an emerging artist of his calibre. Seth dropped his last name, adopted the Sentry moniker and left for the big city, where dreams could be realised.

Even if he’d failed in his quest, at least there are some great record stores up in town. “I moved to Melbourne when I was 19… a long time ago. There was no music scene here.

There were no live music venues and nobody was into rap music… except for me and one other guy at high school.” Though Sorrento, Seth’s home town, punches well above its weight in the retail sector, the offers were limited. “It was whatever music I could find at the cinema / video shop / CD shop in the village, which is where I got all my music. Luckily, I found Wu Tang albums and Gravedigger CDs, a whole bunch of old school, late-‘90s rap music. If people told me about something I’d have to go and order it in – you couldn’t exactly jump on Spotify!”

The move has been kind to Seth. While he no doubt misses the reverie of old friends at the

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Frankston skate park, his life changed when he met Perry Chapman, A.K.A. Pez. “I met Pez through a girl that I knew… she said I should meet up with Pez and Matik, so I did. Then I met 360 through Pez, we started doing gigs and writing songs together and Pez ended up producing my whole EP, and a bunch of songs off the next album as well. When you’ve all got similar interests and passions, it’s easy to make friends.”

Thankfully, geography is no longer the creativity-choking force it once was. Yeah, the internet’s been around for a generation now, but what this generation’s done with it in the last decade has permanently changed the world. You can submerge yourself in the greasiest, darkest depths of an industry from the comfort of an arm chair, all the while behind a protective layer of bulletproof glass. Says Seth of the way things have changed, “I felt like I had to make a move to a different area because I physically couldn’t do what I needed to do on a daily basis, or interact with the people I needed to in order to be immersed in the music scene. It’s different now because where you’re at doesn’t matter so much… it’s almost at the point where you don’t need to release a physical CD anymore.”

That’s not to suggest that pursuing Seth’s path would be easy now. In a world where everybody has become a publisher, the next competition for your listener’s earballs is already in post-production. The technology might be more readily available, but that doesn’t

mean ability is. “I started writing music when I was 15, so yeah, it took a long time. But it never felt like it because I was so immersed in it, enjoying what I was doing, approaching every open mic night I could. It never felt like a long time coming because I had my head down in it, and I actually loved the process.” His best advice for the budding rapper or hip-hop artist is “the more you write, the better you get, and the more you immerse yourself in it, the more people you’re going to draw toward you.

“The intimate stuff is cool, but with 10,000 kids going mental, it’s hard to pass the festivals. It’s a little more detached, you’re there to perform and the crowd’s so far away from you that you can’t see any individual person’s face, they just become one big, hard-to-see entity. And that’s great – you turn it on, people go wild and you get a nice adrenaline rush and I love that, but I also love the intimate side of things. Gigs where you can actually talk to people, have the audience yell shit out, and feed off it.”

“Or you could be like Adele, and sell 3.8 million copies in your first week!” Yes, or that. But for the rest of us, what matters is that you’re passionate about creation. Without that drive, with only a destination in mind, promising young artists lose their way, succumbing to old marketing tricks to get eyeballs and likes on pages. “They essentially become ‘meme’ pages. They don’t post any music, they’re not personable, it’s just about posting funny shit.”

Which, ironically, can really subtract from the impression one might wish to cultivate. Perhaps even more ironically, Seth himself was once “that annoying dude who was spamming everyone my music, trying to get everyone to listen, once I’d made the decision to really go for it.” Even so, it was always about the music.

As for the rest of the year? Seth Sentry’s returning to Melbourne’s south east at the end of the month to rock the Chelsea Heights Hotel, and that’s actually close enough to the Mornington Peninsula that there might even be a few familiar faces in the crowd. He’s got a couple more tours to knock over for this album, at which point he’ll whisk himself away to somewhere comfortable yet inspiring, somewhere he can do some serious writing. There’s “a bunch of surprises coming out this year, little features and stuff that I can’t get too specific about.” We love surprises, especially when coupled with vague descriptions of activity, because that usually means something big is looming. Stay tuned!

Which brings us to our third and final irony in this literary trifecta – Seth isn’t entirely about music 100% of the time. While an artist having hobbies and interests outside their field isn’t exactly news (or, for that matter, ironic), it can make them human, connecting an artist to

Seth Sentry is playing at the Chelsea Heights Hotel on Monday, 25th January, 2016. Tickets available at the venue or from oztix.com.au. bayside & mornington peninsula

THE TALENTED MR. ROB PAPP

By Terri-Lee Fatouros ROB Papp is a singer songwriter and well-honed guitarist with many years experience performing in bands, duos and solo gigs.

During his formative years, College of the Arts Founder, Bruce Clarke recognised Papp’s potential and took him on as his protégé, tutoring him in a comprehensive education of reading, writing and playing music as well as teaching him all he knew about playing jazz.

Whilst studying at GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology) in Los Angeles, Papp met Joe Pass and Tommy Tedesco (famous go-to player for Elvis, Beach Boys, Barbara Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, The Monkeys plus every other famous musician you can think of). In fact Tedesco is known as ‘The most successful musician you’ve never heard of’.

He also had the opportunity to work on chops and licks in the presence of Robben Ford and the renowned Steve Vi, the legendary guitarist who was taught

by Joe Satriani and gigged in many famous bands including Frank Zappa’s.

Papp gigs regularly around The Mornington Peninsula in his jazz ensemble called The Manhattan Trio, his blues outfit, Blueshead, and as an acoustic soloist.

His versatility in music genres is refreshing and much appreciated by his fan base.

Currently Papp is performing regular acoustic solo gigs at Crackerjacks on Nepean Highway in Carrum, (Carrum Bowling Club), and at Double G in Mornington, Soundbar in Rosebud and The General Wine Lounge in McCrae with his other bands.

CELEBRATE AUSTRALIA DAY AT KINGSTON’S GLOBE TO GLOBE FESTIVAL CELEBRATE Australia Day in style at Kingston’s 16th annual Globe to Globe World Music Festival featuring a host of talented performers, free workshops, children’s entertainment and a spectacular fireworks finale.

Proudly presented by the City of Kingston, this fantastic event community event is on 11am-10pm Tuesday 26 January at Namatjira Park in Springs Rd, Clayton South.

This much-loved annual event features a host of talented musicians showcasing the very best in world music over two stages.

A wide range of community groups – including Bollywood dancers, Chinese Drum dancers and Greek dancers – will take to the stage to entertain the crowds followed by major performers including headline performer Melbourne’s own breakthrough artist Harts.

Visitors can also get involved with a series of demonstrations and hands-on workshops including Japanese drumming, tae kwon do and Chinese dancing and more.

The kids will also be entertained with free activities including face painting, balloon sculpture, hair colouring and more. music  arts  events  entertainment

“Come along and join us on Australia Day as we celebrate our great nation where many cultures live together in peace and harmony in our community,” Kingston Mayor Tamsin Bearsley said.

“Globe to Globe celebrates the diverse and unique contributions every culture has to offer. Entry to the festival is your round-the-world ticket to experiencing foods, sights and sounds from every corner of the globe.”

Singing, Guitar & Piano lessons BOOK NOW for our Songwriting Workshop !!

The event will end with a fireworks spectacular at 9.30pm.

Cost: $2 entry, $5 families.

For more information see www.kingston. vic.gov.au/globe or phone 1300 653 356.

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THE WHISKY GYPSIES

By Terri Lee Fatouros RECENTLY, hip Café Moto on NHW Carrum played host to The Whisky Gypsies, a classic traditional, Celtic inspired duo with a Euro Folk Groove who perform with acoustic guitar (Daniel Gray), and mandolin and electric fiddle, Ken McAlpine.

The guys have a real buoyant and uplifting beat going down and their combo of acoustic Celtic groove inspired tunes will arouse the dancing fever within; you can’t help but dig these guys.

Gray is no stranger to other genres of music either, playing in funk, jazz, rock, reggae and Latin/Mexican in bands all over the world.

In the past he gigged with Indi outfit, Martin & Co along with various other outfits.

With influences like Mumford and Sons, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Marley, Van Morrison, Tallest Man on Earth and Gaelic Storm inspiring him, its no wonder he plays with soul.

McAlpine has played all the major folk festivals in Australia including Woodford, Port Fairy and the Canberra National Festival. Originating from Scotland and growing up with strong Celtic influences, its little wonder he was drawn to playing the mandolin and electric fiddle, especially the octave mandola as it creates a folksy world music ambience to his songs.

However, being a quirky Scotsman, his musical influences have been the likes of Paul Kelly, Hunters and Collectors, The Waifs, Crowded House, U2, Johnny Cash, Drop Kick Murphys, and The Pogues to name a few.

It’s no wonder he was drawn to Indi Irish band, Sporting Paddy to express his musical bent.

Say The Whisky Gypsies, “The Whiskey Gypsies

antipodean-styled ‘Celtic folk-inspired music’ blends ominous, virtuosic instrumentals to add new interpretations to popular contemporary acoustic tunes. Their haunting melancholic ballads and urban beer-soaked anthems capture the cusp of new age in roots music, as trailblazed by bands such as Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers.

The guys often invite guest musicians, which results in a performance of high-energy jigs and polkas spiced with their original tunes.

Imagine the sound of a mandolin piercing a misty morning forest, or a fiddle evoking merriment amongst a colonial miners swell in some distant gold rush gathering, and you will begin to let the Whisky Gypsies musical magic capture your soul and spirit…”

Café Moto promotes good music and is Motor Bike friendly. When their liquor license is established, Moto will open up their big courtyard to bands, music and partying. In the meantime you can catch quality music from The Whisky Gypsies and other guest artists inside

TIDBITS & TALES Wow, what a year 2015 was. A lot of great stuff happened for many of your favourite bands. Between CD launches (Safari Motel), cool merchandise (Andy Phillips), international touring (Geoff Achison) and reformed bands like The Electric Church bursting onto the scene, the year was huge.

A big congratulations goes to Matthew White and Troy Wilson (Wilson & White) who managed to get their first album ‘Live @ the Blues Shack” ranked 3rd on the Australian Blues and Roots Chart late last

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MINT Magazine  January

2016

The Whisky Gypsies will continue playing at festivals around Australia and continue playing to great crowds around Melbourne in small, intimate bars and cafes that sell good wine, great whisky and provide tantalizing ambience.

their roomy café.

If you can’t make it to Cafe Moto, catch the Whisky Gypsies at one of their many other gigs around town. Check them out on Facebook using the QR code.

Saturday 16th January, 9.30am - 1.30pm @ Balnarring Market, Balnarring Race Course, Coolart Rd. Friday 29th January @ Brass Razu, Main St, Mornington. 9pm.

By Terri Lee Fatouros

year. Well done, guys!

Last December I was totally stumped when a number of wonderful musician friends threw a surprise birthday party for me at Double G Saloon in Mornington.

The wonderfully talented Rob Papp got together with the incorrigible Heidi LaFaerie and awesome Andy Phillips, and together invited some of the Peninsula’s finest musicians to jam and party with me.

It was a hoot and I had an absolute blast, feeling much appreciated and loved... plus a trifle overwhelmed with the wonderful

presents I received. A huge heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who came and celebrated with me.

The 2015 Debonairs Christmas bash (a music industry event) was rather spectacular, with a couple of Peninsula’s finest entertaining the entertainers. Wendy and Jon Wade along with Peter Jackson of the Jackson Four were my guests at the lunch. However, the Wades doubled up and wooed the crowd with some swinging jazz tunes, most impressive.

I trust 2016 will be the herald of many

prodigious bands, inspiring gigs and extraordinary music all year long.

Until next time lovelies…..

If you are a local band gigging on The Mornington Peninsula and wish to showcase your music, then please email Terri Lee Fatouros at: terri@mintmagazine. com.au

bayside & mornington peninsula

1099 Point Nepean Rd, Rosebud P: 5950 0300 www.rosebudhotel.com.au

URBAN SPREAD RETURNS URBAN Spread heads into 2016 continuing its mission to bring quality music alternatives to the suburbs with the announcement that troubadour Kim Churchill and special guests Jordie Lane and Woodlock will be bringing some rootsy splendour to the Pelly Bar in Frankston and York On Lilydale in February, 2016.

Kim Churchill has already accomplished some amazing feats in his short time as a professional musician, matching his lyrical artistry with fierce vocals; he is a sonic architect, using his instruments to create landscapes to animate his lyrics. Live, he is a true virtuoso. Recognised as much internationally as he is in his homeland, having performed headline shows, festivals and supports alike all over the planet. In recent years he has opened for Billy Bragg and Michael Franti, and performed at many notable festivals such as Montreal Jazz, Glastonbury, Cornwall Boardmasters, Victorious, Womad, Beautiful Days, Telluride Blues, SXSW, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Byron Bay Blues Festival and many more. Kim has also been added to the 2016 Byron Bay Blues Festival lineup which will be his fifth appearance at the globally recognised event, and each time his performances have left a huge impression.

2016 will be no different.

Born to a comedian and a clown, Jordie Lane spent his early years in his parents traveling circus. Many years later, not much has changed, with Lane renowned for both his relentless international touring schedule, and

his witty, comedic storytelling. Lane’s music, seems like it comes from another place and time. The songs are nostalgic and immediately affecting, his rhythmic guitar playing is authentic and raw, and the rich resonance of his voice is simply otherworldly. Australia’s Storytelling Troubadour Jordie Lane has just come off the back of an epic 2 year world tour of his critically acclaimed Nashville recorded EP, ‘Not Built To Last’.

Featuring Kiwi brothers Zech and Eze Walters and their mate Bowen Purcell, Woodlock formed after meeting whilst travelling overseas.

Relocating to Australia and after a short stint of writing and playing the trio bought a caravan, fixed it up, somehow got it registered and took off on an adventure up and down the east coast taking their music with them to the streets of both rural and capital cities. Focusing on strong, energetic and creative live shows to take their performance to the next level, Woodlock have just completed recording their much anticipated debut album ‘Sirens’ due for release shortly.

Teaming up with TAC, Urban Spread is looking introduce a safer alternative for a new generation of music lovers in the suburbs. By creating quality events closer to home, Urban Spread is ensuring that the joy of experiencing great Australian music doesn’t need to cost young lives on the road. Australian music is alive in the suburbs and with the help of TAC, Urban Spread is making sure that Australian music lovers stay alive in the suburbs!

GEOFF ACHISON PLAYS THE SOUL TRAIN

By Terri-Lee Fatouros IF YOU haven’t taken time out to catch Geoff Achison and his band, The Souldiggers, then stop procrastinating and go see them. They are brilliant.

With Gerry Pantazis on drums and two ex-members of Little River Band – bassist Roger McLachlan, and keyboardist Mal Logan morphing harmoniously within structured songs, giving rise for Achison’s unique guitar virtuoso to ad-lib during performances, it’s enthralling, to say the least.

Achison tours America, England and Europe regularly, has a string of credits and awards far too numerous to mention. He carries a staggeringly-huge worldwide fan base.

This humble world-renowned guitarist teaches guitar mastery at Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio, USA, as well at various other places around Melbourne. How fortunate for us!

Over the years Achison has gigged with greats like The Allman Brothers, Tommy Emmanuel,

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MINT Magazine  January

2016

Dutch Tilders, John Mayall, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and John Mayer to name a few.

Currently we have our boy back in Australia, gigging around the burbs and interstate over the next few months so now is probably a good time to catch him and his band.

Just before Christmas, Achison played The Soul Train to a much-appreciative crowd at Davey’s in Frankston.

On Sunday, 17 January Achison will be back at Beach 162 (162 Beach St) in Frankston at 2pm.

On Monday, 25 January they move to the Flying Saucer Club, 4 Georges Rd, Elsternwick, performing a Guitar Showdown with Jimi Hockings.

Dinner 6pm – Showtime 8.40pm bayside & mornington peninsula

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INDIGENOUS HIP HOP CELEBRATES AUSTRALIA DAY

By Melissa Walsh Prepare to be amazed when Indigenous Hip Hop (IHHP) arrives on the Mornington Peninsula, champing at the bit to energise crowds on Australia Day. The interactive hip hop works on the principle of using “arts for change,” focusing on young Indigenous people’s strengths, developing their skills and attitudes and working closely with partners to support community development.

focus on the good things... working for people, explaining the reality of drinking, smoking and bullying, for example.”

The group started about 10 years ago with two young guys, Michael Farah and Dion Brownfield, who wanted to use dance as a medium for change.

“Hip hop gives young Indigenous people and their communities a voice, to not only let their issues be heard but empower them to find their own solutions. Through its projects, IHHP fuse Indigenous culture and the youth subculture of hip hop to engage with and develop skills and confidence in young Indigenous people. We celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity,” said Michael. “The artists use the power of hip hop, modern dance, music, art and other media to engage with and develop young people, hopefully to influence positive change in their lives.”

“Around about 2006, Dion and I met at a festival in a remote community in WA, and worked out that we had a great opportunity to use youth dance as a medium for change, taking it to remote communities and local festivals all over the country,” says dancer and choreographer Michael. The multicultural group attracts both indigenous and nonindigenous members. “Basically it snowballed to going from five artists and now we have

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MINT Magazine  January

2016

IHHP believes that in order to work towards ‘Closing the Gap’ and address disadvantage faced by Indigenous young people, programs need to support the development of physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

about 40 artists, dancers, music producers, film makers, artists, rappers, singers and we’re still doing the work we do, which is going to communities, and festivals.”

encouragin participants to have a lot of fun and learn about health issues and the heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the world’s oldest surviving society and culture.

IHHP uses dance as a tool of engagement,

“It’s not too heavy, it’s a celebration, and we

bayside & mornington peninsula

BLUES ILLUSTRATED

By Greg Fisher

FIONA BOYES Fiona Boyes is an Australian blues musician who has been recording and performing internationally for more than 25 years. Her career has taken her to major festivals and stages in Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe. A veteran recording artist with 13 releases, 6 international awardwinning albums, 4 successive Blues Music Award nominations in 4 different categories, 15 Australian Blues awards, as well as a string of accolades, Fiona’s latest album BOX & DICE has just won the inaugural best Blues Album at The Age Music Victoria Awards.

Digging deep into her guitar collection, BOX & DICE features some of Fiona’s more unusual instruments including 6 & 4 string cigar box guitars and a rare National Reso-lectric electric baritone guitar. The album is made up of a few classic blues tunes from Howlin’ Wolf, Magic Sam & Bessie Smith plus 8 original songs. Fiona’s reputation as a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and band leader is without rival and she is equally at home in an acoustic or electric environment. Married to husband Steve, a social activist and Anglican priest, they share the joys of five children and eight grandchildren.

AUSTRALIAN BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL The Australian Blues Music Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016 with a fantastic lineup of world class, home-grown talent.

Held on the second weekend of February each year in the southern New South Wales city of Goulburn, the festival has become one of the region’s premier events drawing fans from all over Australia, who are then treated to more than 70 free performances at a variety of great venues. This year’s lineup includes familiar faces such as Lloyd Spiegel, Ray Beadle, Minnie Marks, Jan Preston, PJ O’Brien Band and Blue Eyes Cry alongside first timers Miss Whiskey, Mick Dogs Boneyard, Keith Hall & Pat Dow Band, Sugar Bowl Hokum, The Groove Kings and Jesse Valach presents The Blues Mountain. In keeping with the community spirit of The Australian Blues Music Festival the city’s Auburn Street features a number of buskers throughout Friday and Saturday who compete for a place at the following year’s festival. For more information, go to the festival website at www. australianbluesfestival.info

LAZENBY YOUNG BLUES GUITARIST The Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award is an initiative of the Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival and commenced with the inaugural award in 2014. Phil Lazenby was one of Bendigo’s most loved and respected community figures. The 2015 Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist award has been won

by Rhiannon Simpson. The prize was a 2010 Fender American Standard Telecaster and case previously owned by the late Phil Lazenby but never played.

PENINSULA BLUES CLUB The 22nd Thredbo Blues Festival will be held between January 15 – 17 this year, featuring Andy Just and the Third Degree, Russell Morris, the Andrea Marr Band and Fiona Boyes. This year

the festival will also be hosting a special cabaret called The Pearl Show – The Janis Joplin Story, featuring the outstanding voice of Liza Ohlback.

For more details, go to https://www.thredbo.com. au/thredboblues/

AUSSIE BLUES VID OF THE WEEK Eddies Bandroom (formerly Fast Eddies) in Moorabbin will be hosting a Gala event on Saturday, 30 January. The Jackson Four have teamed up with the Peninsula’s own Andy Phillips to present some Blues, Swing and Rock that promises something for everyone who likes to dance.

PENINSULA BLUES CLUB The Peninsula Blues Club is the home of the Blues on the Mornington Peninsula and presents live music on the second Sunday of each month at the Frankston Bowling Club, 64 Yuillie Steet (Cnr Yuille & William St) Frankston South. Sunday, 10 January will host the return of Dreamboogie as the feature act.

Doors open at 6PM. Greg writes monthly for Mint and broadcasts on Southern FM - if you know of something special happening in the Blues world please drop him a line at bluesillustrated@gmail.com or facebook.com/GregFisherBluesIllustrated

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EDITOR’S PLAYLIST Art vs. Science Enter Sandman (Metallica) Like a Version (triple J)

Urthboy Long Loud Hours Fifth studio album (Feb ‘16)

Although you might have to jump onto YouTube to actually listen to this track, it’ll be well worth your time. The disappointment is that you won’t find a copy that hasn’t been ripped from an online video, so your audio quality is limited.

I am a big fan of Metallica. Their Master of Puppets-era stuff is what first inspired me to pick up a musical instrument, and the Black Album is, in my humblest of opinions, one of the greatest albums of all time.

So believe me when I say, Art vs. Science KICK ASS with this cover song. In their own unique electronic-but-live style, the threepiece act ease into it and rock on out. Don’t for a moment think they’ve skipped the guitar solo, either - though it’s more of a bluesy stratocaster sound than heavy metal.

Yes, covering Metallica is akin to breaching sacred ground, but when your tribute is this good, they’ve earned permission.

Urthboy’s fifth studio album is set for release early in 2016, and if Long Loud Hours is anything to go by, Tim Levinson has begun to experiment with his knack for brutal, honest storytelling and love of collaboration.

A founding member of independent record label Elefant Traks with other members of The Herd, his earlier solo albums have a common thread that runs through them.

Long Loud Hours borrows from the narrative of Smokey’s Haunt, telling the haunting tale of a prison break staged out of love.

When I first listened to it and heard the lyrics, I must admit I thought it was part of the soundtrack to Australian film Son of a Gun, starring Ewan McGregor. The story is close, but centres on love - something the movie wasn’t big on. It’s a different, more melodic Urthboy, but it’s good stuff all the same.

By Billy Dixon

RÜFÜS You Were Right Bloom

Parkway Drive Vice Grip Ire

RÜFÜS are one of Australia’s premier electronic music acts, with tunes ranging from raw and distilled to thumping and dance-worthy. One of their latest singles, You Were Right, proves why.

As far as their sound goes, You Were Right is dripping with classic RÜFÜS tells. That doesn’t stop it being an awesome spin on their mode of electronica, and the song’s level of success is testament to that.

Following Like an Animal from their new album, this one’s a little more conventional in structure and sound, but demonstrates that they’re willing to blend the new and experimental with the classic and proven.

If you dig electronic music of just about any type, from soft chillout to Skrillex dubstep, RÜFÜS is a top local artist you should definitely have in your playlist – you’ll find the mood for them sooner or later.

Parkway Drive have the honour of laying the foundations for what we now call metalcore.

Responsibility for the advent of a genre in Australia obviously carries some pressure for the boys, not only from fans but from just about anyone with any creative input.

You can tell - their sound has matured significantly. It’s more melodic, more Black Album Metallica, less... well, hardcore.

Lyrically they’re far more impressive now, vocally more refined and musically more focused, but it’s not a direction the hardestof-core will appreciate.

It represents a mellowing of the Parkway Drive sound, if I might be so bold, and I love it. Success in the music industry creates a set of forces that act on a band’s creative direction, and one of those forces drags bands of all kinds towards the centre, where they add mainstream followers to their collective of fans on the fringes.

Who’s playing in the coming weeks, and where

Saturday, 16 January: Unify Heavy Music Gathering @ Tarwin Meadows, South Gippsland Sunday, 17 January: Stray from the Path @ Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Sunday, 17 January: Tonight Alive @ Max Watt’s, Melbourne Tuesday, 19 January: Jack & Jack, R5 @ Palais Theatre, St. Kilda Wednesday, 20 January: Icehouse @ Palais Theatre, St. Kilda Thursday, 21 January: Turnstile @ Arrow on Swanston, Melbourne Friday, 22 January: Courtney Barnett @ Palais Theatre, St. Kilda Saturday, 23 January: Red Hot Summer Tour (Jimmy Barnes, Noiseworks, The Angels, Mark Seymour & The Undertow,

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MINT Magazine  January

The Badloves) @ Mornington Racecourse, Mornington Saturday, 23 January: INXSIVE @ Rosebud Hotel, Rosebud Sunday, 24 January: Portsea Beach Club (Alison Wonderland) @ Portsea Hotel, Portsea Sunday, 24 January: Hot Chip @ Billboard, Melbourne Monday, 25 January: Seth Sentry, Mantra & Ivan Ooze @ Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights Monday, 25 January: Australian Made - Oz Rock Tribute Concert @ Hallam Hotel, Hallam Monday, 25 January: Australia Day Eve (Matt Katsis, Moonah Ripp, Jam Roots, Dallas Frasca) @ Grand Hotel, Mornington Monday, 25 January: John Digweed @ Shed 9, Melbourne

2016

Monday, 25 January: Clare Bowditch @ Memo Music Hall, St. Kilda Monday, 25 January: Adam Lambert @ Palais Theatre, St. Kilda Tuesday, 26 January: Fatboy Slim @ RIVA, Elwood Thursday, 28 January: Chamber Philharmonia Cologne @ St. Macartan’s Church, Mornington Thursday, 28 January: Adam Brand & The Outlaws @ Hallam Hotel, Hallam Friday, 29 January: Dallas Crane @ Grand Hotel, Mornington Saturday, 30 January: Josh Roydhouse @ Rosebud Hotel, Rosebud.

Wednesday, 3 February: Manpower Australia - Girls’ Night Outback @ Hallam Hotel, Hallam

Monday, 15 February: Saskwatch @ Grand Hotel, Mornington Friday, 19 February: Manpower Australia - Girls’ Night Outback @ Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights Friday, 19 February: Kim Churchill, Jordie Lane & Ben Jansz @ Pier Hotel, Frankston Saturday, 5 March: Blues at the Briars @ Briars Homestead, Mornington Friday, 18 March: Seven Sisters Festival @ Mount Martha Thursday 17 March: Fawlty Towers Dinner Dance @ Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights Sunday, 20 March: Peninsula Picnic @ Mornington Racecourse, Mornington Friday, 15 April: Saskwatch @ Grand Hotel, Mornington

Courtney Barnett is playing at the Palais Theatre on 22nd Jan. bayside & mornington peninsula

CLASSIC CUTS

Atomic Rooster were a UK prog rock band sounding a bit like a special blend of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep.

The band was formed in 1969 from the ashes of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

Arthur Brown had disappeared for a while and subsequently two of the band members, Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer, formed Atomic Rooster.

John Cann (stage name John Du Cann) was poached by Crane and Palmer from the hard rock band Andromeda. However, Palmer left the following year to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Paul Hammond was then recruited to take Palmers’ place on drums.

The name Atomic Rooster appears to have been inspired by the fact that 1969 was the year of the rooster in the Chinese calendar.

Originally, the new line up was to include collaborations with just-sacked Rolling Stone Brian Jones. Unfortunately for Atomic Rooster, Jones died before anything transpired.

The band’s second album (their first since the

departure of Palmer) was to become a classic British piece of heavy progressive rock, with definite Gothic overtones.

Released in 1970, Death Walks Behind You has lashings of blazing solos, frantic guitar and even some demented Hammond organ.

By Ray McGrotty Death Walks Behind You is a very dark, scary and demonic piece of work, one that would complement the soundtrack to the scariest movie you could ever imagine!

The haunting piano intro is enough to send shivers up your spine.

A fitting and well-crafted guitar riff follows, which leads into a piano/guitar type of interplay.

On a Stormy Night this track could seriously see you heading for the covers.

VUG is an instrumental track vaguely reminiscent of something Jethro Tull might do but with crazy pills thrown into the mix and features some crazy high-speed organ solos.

Tomorrow Night is a more positive track with very catchy piano, but could still be one of the scariest love songs you’ll ever hear.

7 Streets puts us right back into the gloom with its creepy Hammond organ which follows a grungy guitar riff intro.

Side two of the original vinyl album opens

KENNY AND DOLLY IF YOU dislike someone, there are several things you can do to make your feelings known. You can scowl, spit and curse. If your enmity runs especially deep, you might even kick your enemy’s gate in and set their garden gnomes on fire. Should your hostility be directed towards a group rather than an individual, you might go so far as to take out an advertisement in the local paper. But if your hatred knows no bounds and is directed towards all humanity without exception, the choice is clear: you should release a Christmas album.

It is hard to conjure a greater affront to human dignity than an album of Yuletide songs. For me, I’m always struck by the fact that second-rate tunes about mistletoe and reindeer were probably recorded in April when the chances of the singer feeling anything resembling Christmas spirit are worse than negligible. Granted, there are some exceptions. The singer from Judas Priest released an album of heavy metal carols that are so berserk that they shake off the shackles of festive dreadfulness, metamorphosing into something close to

with Sleeping for Years. It’s almost like an anthemic treasure that has been lost for years in the depths of some chaotic ocean.

I Can’t Take No More is the least progressively-motivated track on the album.

It’s more of a garage rocker, but still fits nicely in the context of Death Walks Behind You. Nobody Else begins with a strange chanting intro which gradually subsides, leaving a moody piano tones and some very emotional vocals from Du Cann. The whole piece later emerges into a powerful rock ballad.

The album closes with Gershatzer – an 8-minute progressive instrumental session with the mandatory drum solo, standard for heavy bands of the ’70s.

Atomic Rooster are one of those underrated bands who deserved a lot more recognition than they ever received. Death Walks Behind You remains one of my all-time favourite progressive rock albums. As the opening lyrics suggest, “Lock the door, switch the light, you’ll be so afraid tonight.”

By Stuart McCullough

awesome. There’s also the Phil Spector Christmas album that, once, was kind of charming but now suffers the inescapable shadow of creepiness since old Phil was sentenced to hard time. Then there’s the rest. These are the kind of albums that are a gift only to the accountants of the artists concerned. Take a step forward, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

Bells On’, ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Silent Night’. Not nearly silent enough, as it turns out. Originally, the album accompanied a television special that first aired in 1984.

It was as though George Orwell’s terrifying premonition of a dystopian future set in the year of our Lord 1984 had suddenly and terrifyingly come true in a single network special.

I’m pretty sure that the term ‘axis of evil’ has invented with collaborations such as this one firmly in mind. Frankly, the cover art of ‘Once Upon a Christmas’ by Kenny and Dolly tells you everything you need to know about the record itself. It features the artists sticking their heads out of a mistletoe wreath that hangs around them like a big, bushy horticultural porthole. Kenny’s squeezing Dolly in a manner that mistakes her for a human accordion and, given that they’re effectively co-workers, may well be considered sexual harassment. They’re joined by what appears to be a decapitated reindeer whose presence is presumably intended to constitute a warning to others.

The picture on the back has Kenny reclining

Surely, I hear you say, this review should have appeared in December rather than January?

No way. January is the perfect time to write about this particular aural abomination. To do so in the pre-Christmas period may have inadvertently served to encourage the more foolhardy to attempt to listen to the thing, perhaps even on the big day itself. Under no circumstance was I going to be responsible for somebody losing their Christmas lunch as Kenny and Dolly strain for the high notes in ‘I Believe in Santa Claus’. Don’t get me wrong.

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton are, each in their own right, extremely talented musicians who’ve produced some wonderful songs.

This album, however, does not feature any of them. You have been warned.

on a rocking chair whilst Dolly sits at his feet.

It looks like they’ve broken in to the world’s most disturbing toy store whilst wearing the most horrifying knitwear known to humanity.

And that’s before you get to the music.

Of the ten tracks, five feature the word ‘Christmas’ in the title. There’s ‘The Christmas Song’, ‘Christmas Without You’ and, inevitably, ‘White Christmas’. Then (jut to spice things up a little) there’s ‘With

mintmagazine.com.au music  arts  events  entertainment

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YOUTUBE GEMS Crazy covers, asinine antics and other stuff CHILDREN MEDIEVAL BAND - DONAUKINDER (RAMMSTEIN) A disturbingly good cover of the song Donaukinder, by everyone’s favourite German metal band, Rammstein.

Forget The Voice - this is where the stars of tomorrow are made.

SEINFELF A low-budget piss-take on the timeless comedy series, Seinfeld.

This compelling documentary follows the real-life antics of Jerry and friends as they learn PC the hard way.

REGGIE DOUBLE-CROSSES NINTENDO The current COO of Nintendo of America has a mild slip of the tongue during an on-air interview with ABC about the Wii-U. WARNING: Coarse language here!

ART VS SCIENCE - ENTER SANDMAND Those Art vs. Science geniuses have done what no other musician would dare attempt in covering a classic Metallica song. The results are... surprising.

NORTH KOREA MARCHES TO DUBSTEP See the veritable “spring” in their step as they march through the streets of the impoverished nation.

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MINT Magazine  January

2016

Mint Magazine, PO Box 588, Hastings, 3915 Email: letters@mintmagazine.com.au Dear Mint Magazine, It is with great disappointment and even greater apprehension that I write to farewell another summer of festivals. As the assistant regional manager for an office supply company, I was chosen to attend the festival on behalf of our manager, who was needed in Canberra to draft legislation to tax imports of any and all things paper. After fires threatened the Lorne event, I thought “bugger Geelong” and went long. What a treat - and all on the company dime, too!

My mission was to drive the company car (a 1984 VK Commodore) all the way up route 1 to Byron Bay and bring a little piece of the festival home. It’s all part of an OH&S program designed to combat depression in our workforce, although its effectiveness has been called into question by auditors.

The thing is, money can’t buy the kind of rush you get from snorting wholemeal flower off the hairless chest of Weird Al Yankovic.

It is unfortunate your own delegate was still battling jetlag after returning from the Paris climate change conference – I dare say that combined, our egos would’ve given Nazeem Hussain a run for his money.

The festival itself was a full-ounce of fun, regardless. After sharing seven bottles of Peninsula Pinot Noir with both Art and Science, I convinced them to fight like Jedis – something the world had been waiting to see for some time. The battle was broken up with a witty but charmingly-deadpan line from Courtney Barnett shortly after midnight in the new year.

But as your readers well know, Falls Festival extends beyond simply New Year’s Eve, requiring at least another 48 hours’ worth of sustenance and conscious thought. Ian Kenny from Birds of Tokyo graciously lent me his blender and half a wild boar he’d speared for some hot’n’spicy Bacon Bloody Marys.

I passed those around at about 7.30am on New Year’s Day. Just as well, too – those Hilltop Hoods hooligans were unconscious in a portaloo before I got to them. Yes, all of them – they played a set so killer on NYE that one of them actually died on stage.

With EMTs on site but no defibrilator, it was Paul Kelly who saved the day by tearing the 240-volt wires from the back of his expensive Marshall amp and attaching them to the nipples of MC Pressure. I’m pretty sure he felt that one.

Y’all never would’ve seen Disclosure without my hair of the dog, neither. They were busy fighting with Calvin Harris over Lorde’s guest vocals. The first day of the year eventually disappeared behind a thick plume of smoke, courtesy of Seth Sentry. His smoke machine, I’m talking about – we vaped all his weed the previous afternoon.

Things really got out of hand on the third and final day as RÜFÜS handed out the Absinthe-infused LSD. Or was that LSDinfused Absinthe? It’s all a colourful haze, but I distinctly remember thinking I’d stumbled

into the video for “This Summer.” Not only was I suddenly floating above everyone else, but even though I’m a tender 19 years old, I felt like I’d aged a decade. Here’s hoping I didn’t commit any crimes that cross state borders.

May 2016 bring you the joy and wonder an underaged person feels when they get intoxicated for the first time, may my boss never stop passing optional boondoggles down the line and may Falls Festival bring the noise once more in 2016!

Yours in perpetuity, Gavin Smarmy - assistant regional manager, Thunder Spliffin Office Supplies.

Dear Mint Magazine, Politics in Australia is a joke. The door to the Prime Minister’s office literally won’t stop revolving. It’s one of those airlock things, and it tried to take my arm on my way out. Who wants to be lectured on the virtues of other people spending your money, by a sleazy union heavy or a smarmy wealth factory?

I will be officially voting informal until Barnaby Joyce rises up to take his place at the throne of the National Party. Only Barnaby has the balls to do what needs to be done, to convince this good nation without playing to the doldrums of politics.

From there, he would convince the country, in no uncertain terms, to tighten our collective belts. After all, it’s that curiously spicy blend of authoritarian socialism, high religion and ruthless capitalism that make the “broad church” of the Coalition government so... well... churchy! Also, I miss getting attention.

Cheers, Tony Abbott (Honourable Rhodes Scholar) Dear Mint Magazine, As a tourist from China’s highly-cultured Guangzhou region, I had heard much about Victoria and the Mornington Peninsula from your international marketing campaigns.

What I had not heard was the Southern Peninsula was the representative cultural microcosm of everything we see at home on TV. Portsea, with its very own replica of London Bridge, hewn from the toughest of granite. A quarantine station, where we were confined under orders by our tourguide for four straight days under standard procedure.

And of course, Rye, the cute bayside village where so much happens that the council is actually paying private citizens to install video cameras in the street!

What an exciting place to live, work and socialise. The only things that could be improved upon are the jail sentences for seal clubbers – they are an efficient source of lamp oil for my poorest uncle out in the regions, and we had hoped to beat the prices in duty free back home.

Many thanks, Wang Lei - Guangzhou, China. bayside & mornington peninsula

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Silence Two Jesuit priests encounter violent persecution when they travel to Japan to proselytise and locate their mentor.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Ciarán Hinds.

Rock the Kasbah A failing music manager discovers amazing talent in a teenage girl. While on tour in Afghanistan, he takes her to Kabul to compete in a popular TV show.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Danny McBride

The Danish Girl The husband of a Danish artist attempts sexual reassignment surgery after being painted as a woman, while a complex love triangle forms with an art dealer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Alicia Vikander, Eddie Redmayne, Adrian Schiller

Room A boy has spent his entire life encapsulated in a room. He and his mother make some interesting discoveries when he escapes for the first time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson

The Hateful Eight A bounty hunter and prisoner take shelter in a cabin in central Wyoming as a snowstorm rages.

They and the other inhabitants must survive the night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Steve Jobs A behind-the-scenes portrait of the digital revolution and the man who kick-started it. The story unfolds at three separate but iconic product launches.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels

Looking for Grace A teenage girl goes missing. Her parents and an investigator search for her while juggling their own secrets.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Radha Mitchell, Richard Roxburgh, Odessa Young, Terry Norris

The 33 The tale of 33 Chilean miners, who were trapped in a collapsed copper and gold mine for 69 days. Based on real-life events.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Lou Diamond Phillips

Dirty Grandpa Just before his wedding, a usually-uptight groom is tricked into driving his perverted grandfather to Florida for spring break.

Chaos predictably ensues.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Zoey Deutch, Robert de Niro, Zac Effron, Aubrey Plaza

The Finest Hours In 1952, two oil tankers are destroyed in a blizzard off Cape Cod. The Coast Guard makes a daring attempt to save those thrown overboard.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------STARRING Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Ciarán Hinds.

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CARMELA D’AMORE SORRENTO’S CELEBRITY CHEF

By Billy Dixon Carmela D’Amore is a local celebrity, and one of Sorrento’s best cultural and culinary imports. Born in Kilmore to Sicilian immigrants, she’s a first generation Australian who came to the Mornington Peninsula in 1974 with her sizeable family. Not only does she lead the team at Sorrento Trattoria from the kitchen (which she shares with her son Joe), she volunteers at Sorrento Primary School and St. Joseph’s, where she assists with their annual Italian Day. As well, she runs a cooking school (Carmela’s Cucina Classes) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the kitchen and is officially launching her tome of a cook book on the 6th of December from the restaurant.

“It’s just under a kilo – it’s a beautiful, heavy book, if I do say so myself. It’s about my family’s journey as well as my own, and talks about some of the struggles we faced, how we overcame them and how I healed through Sicilian cooking.” It’s an intricate combination of biography, personal struggle and culinary studies, including 75 of her mother and nonna’s personal recipes that she’s modified to suit contemporary tastes and standards. If there were a way to put Sorrento Trattoria on paper, this is it.

It’s worth a read if you enjoy your time in the kitchen, too – Carmela and her family literally live and breathe food. “I’ve been cooking for more than 40 years professionally as a Sicilian chef.” Her husband also happens to have the gene – his father was the first artisan baker in Clifton Hill, and he’s a French pastry chef. Ever wonder about the chefs working behind the scenes at your favourite spot? At Sorrento Trattoria, you’ve got generations of experience from across the globe.

Carmela’s ambitions include taking star pupils from her cooking classes over to Sicily for a first-hand look at her heritage and the unique Italian food culture, but it’s her family-focused frame of mind that keeps things going at the restaurant.

“Family and heritage are the foundations that we build our own identity on,” she explains, noting her own hybrid heritage.

Food is life at Sorrento Trattoria.

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MINT Magazine  January

2016

bayside & mornington peninsula

BAY VIEWS LIKE NONE OTHER - SOY

By Billy Dixon

WITH a second storey balcony overlooking the north end of Main Street and the bay’s best views, Restaurant Soy is one of the hottest spots in town. A Mornington staple for nine years, owner and manager Dan is proud to serve some of the Peninsula’s finest Asian dishes.

Whether it’s a cosy, romantic dinner surrounded by the warm, colourful interior, sharing a fine Peninsula wine with friends on the sun-drenched deck or an unorthodox corporate function or Christmas party, Soy caters to groups of all shapes and sizes, seating up to 40 on the balcony and 140 inside. Most of the staff are proud, long-term affiliates and treat the business as if it were their own, happy to serve you from midday til close.

You’ll want to book ahead though – while it’s essential on weekends, the restaurant music  arts  events  entertainment

lunches.

starts filling up from the moment they open the doors. People come from all over the Peninsula and greater Melbourne to feast on signature dishes like prawnstuffed eggplant with light oyster sauce, Canadian scallops with ginger and spring onion, or their modern classic: pan-fried Shanghai pork dumplings with red vinegar.

Duck is a big hit, and they’re one of the few eateries that have a dedicated glutenfree menu! Yum Cha à la carte is a Sunday afternoon specialty, perfect for group

They do a great Asian tea too. Apart from serving the best available tea leaves straight from the pot, their latest addition is the blooming tea. With a range of flavours, some sweet, some mild, you watch the leaves and petals unfurl in front of you, seeping flavour into the small glass teapot. It’s a visual delight as well as an aromatic experience, with your choice of black to white and everything in between.

With doilies and furnishings from across the orient, Soy presents a sophisticated cultural and culinary fantasia you won’t find anywhere else. Their bay views will bring a tear to your eye, and with friendly staff and expert presentation, it’s the place to go for your next Asian dining experience.

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Peter Helliar The Project.

Michala Banas

Upper Middle Bogan and Winners & Losers.

Damon Game

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SCREEN GEM

By Andrea Louise Thomas

Michala Banas began her screen career as a toddler on a TV commercial in her native New Zealand. She was cast in her first film at five. Her family moved to Australia when she was ten and she debuted on Australian TV at seventeen.

Banas has played many roles, but perhaps her most memorable character is the one she is playing right now in Upper Middle Bogan. Amber Wheeler is an abrasive, foul-mouthed uberbogan and audiences love her.

Banas will be heading to the Mornington Peninsula in February as part of the celebrity judging panel for the Peninsula Short Film Festival. I caught up with her to chat about her career and her next role as PSFF judge.

MINT: What will you be looking for when judging?

BANAS: I just like to be entertained whatever the genre. Sometimes people think they have to be really clever, but often it’s the simple films that are the best and the strongest. For me it doesn’t have to be fancy, I just have to be engaged with the story. Story and human behaviour are the areas I’m most interested in. I am going to go with what touches me most.

MINT: What advantages do you think short film has over feature films?

BANAS: If you’re starting out or you’ve never made a film before it’s a really great place to start because you can do it yourself. You can make short films on a smaller budget. Also, when you’re making bigger, more expensive films, you have to give over control of certain creative ideas. Keeping it within your creative control is important for storytellers.

MINT: What are the qualities of a great film?

BANAS: Story and writing are the keys to making anything good. Honesty, care, love and authenticity are also great.

MINT: How did you decide to become an actress?

BANAS: My father, John Banas, was an actor who became a director and ran a theatre when I was a child. He went into writing later. Of course that influenced me. I grew up in the industry. I started when I was very young. I just always loved performing. It’s the only thing I music  arts  events  entertainment

felt passionate about and still really feel passionate about which is pretty awesome after 30 odd years. It’s a fascinating job.

MINT: Let’s talk about Amber Wheeler….

Is this role the most fun you’ve had on screen?

BANAS: Yeah, I think so. We’re shooting our third season soon and I actually I can’t wait to do it and that’s completely honest. I love her. She’s so fun. She’s got such a big heart under all of that stuff. Robyn Butler’s writing is so amazing, so brilliant and well thought out. She’s made my job very easy. I have to celebrate that.

MINT: How do you channel the Australian bogan?

BANAS: I’m not that far away. We’ve all got it in us. I think Australians love this show because we’re all a bit of both.

We’ve all got the snobby part of us and then we have the part of us that wants to eat hot chips on the couch and swear like a truck driver. Amber is not a stretch for me to be honest. She just speaks her mind, which I really admire.

MINT: If you could create any kind of female character for TV, what would she be like?

BANAS: I just want to see more women in leading roles of varying ages in general. I love strong women.

I think that’s pretty clear with Amber, but strong doesn’t mean you’re not vulnerable. There seems to be a lot stuff on film that puts women in one category, not like in real life where we cross over into all the worlds of career, family and all that. I love it when the balance is right because it’s more truthful.

MINT: What would you like to try that you haven’t tried yet?

BANAS: I’d like to direct.

Come meet Banas at the Peninsula Short Film Festival on Saturday, February 6 at the Village Green, Rosebud. Event starts at 4 pm. Films screen at 7pm. Don’t miss Banas as the indomitable Amber Wheeler in Upper Middle Bogan starting soon on ABC, Thursday nights at 8:30.

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31

VCE KIDS TRUMP MORNINGTON ART SHOW

By Andrea Louise Thomas With over 800 works on display, The Mornington Art Show is the Peninsula’s largest visual arts exhibition with landscapes, portraits, abstracts, seascapes and still life across a range of media.

Impressive emerging art from talented VCE students is one of the highlights of this show. 2016 adds a silent auction and unique barrel art to the mix.

Presiding over the judging this year is painter, Lyn Mellady. Feature artists are: Eric Sheppard and Jane Henderson. The Rotary Club of Mornington has hosted this show for over 40 years, bringing recognition to the artistic talents of local students to wellestablished artists from the Peninsula and interstate.

In addition to offering a wide selection of affordable art, this show has raised nearly a million dollars for local and international charities as well as providing scholarships for local students and funding public works projects.

Opening night is Thursday, January 21 from 7.00pm offering Cool Jazz live, gourmet finger foods and refreshments ($25).

The exhibition runs until Tuesday, January 26 from 10 am to 5 pm ($8) at The Peninsula Community Theatre, 91 Wilsons Road, Mornington. Bookings online at: www.morningtonartshow.com.au or through Farrells Bookshop in Mornington.

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32

MINT Magazine  January

2016

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bayside & mornington peninsula

PAINTERS OF THE PENINSULA

By Andrea Louise Thomas Creating work inspired by the Mornington Peninsula and beyond, a group of eight artists meet regularly to paint and socialize, making beautiful, evocative work together. They all started out as students of award winning Peninsula painter, John Bredl. Over time, close friendships formed and their art evolved elevating the standard of their work and the strength of their common bonds.

Bredl, once tutor and mentor, is now friend to all, but his direction and vision for his peers is still a guiding force. Each artist has developed his/her own style painting favourite subjects, but the group also has a collective identity that makes for wonderful group exhibitions.

See the difference that mutual respect, raw talent and supportive friendship can make in creating original art. Come chat with the artists and see what they’ve produced at Sorrento Activities Center, 823 Melbourne Road, Sorrento. Their latest exhibition is on display until January 24. Visit their website for a sneak peek at what they create: studiosorrento.org.

The wild blue yonder: (Clockwise from left) Alexandra’s stellar 3D piece “Industrialising Nature” shows why VCE students are getting attention at the Mornington Art Show. Sandra Karick’s oil painting “Into the Light” depicts a crashing wave. Also from Sandra Karick, a serene panorama painting of the rocky shore on a calmer day.

music  arts  events  entertainment

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WORDSMITHS AT WORK

By Andrea Louise Thomas PENINSULA author and journalist, Michelle Hamer, has eighteen published books to her credit and has written for nearly every capital city newspaper in Australia as well as previously being an editor at The Age. She’s taught writing workshops for both adults and children. It’s lucky for local kids that she is currently teaching a variety of creative writing workshops over school holidays through her program, Wordsmiths.

“We are all natural storytellers,” said Hamer, who often encourages children to write by getting them to share a story orally and then translating it to the page. Author of eleven

children’s books and mother to four children, Hamer gets what makes kids tick.

In her innovative writing workshops, she asks her students to create story sculptures as a springboard to writing. By starting with a hands-on art project, such as making story suitcases, masks or designing skateboard decks, she opens young minds to the creative process, which encourages their writing.

Students in her ongoing workshops range in age from 6 to 16, producing a wide-cross of content perfect for creating an end of

year anthology. “Publishing legitimizes what they’re doing – their work is valued,” Hamer explained, adding, “We celebrate sport and dance and other fields, why not celebrate the people who will be narrating our future?”

Budding wordsmiths take note and sign up for one of Hamer’s school holiday art and writing workshops at the Frankston South Community Recreation Centre. All remaining spots are now half price! Contact Michelle on 0412 580 262 or visit wordsmithworkshops. com.au.

DAVID BOWIE

By Billy Dixon David Bowie was a global cultural phenomenon with influence that rivalled that of the United States of America during the Cold War. With almost five decades active in music, artistry and other cultural endeavours, Bowie changed the world in a way that most rockstars who played away the ‘60s could only dream of. His fans spanned generations, loved by the young and young at heart.

He was the public figure who made it officially OK to be totally weird. In a world where gay-bashing and family violence were bog-standard, he made us ask “why?” when faced with something uncomfortable or different. His androgynous physical appearance only broadened the scope of his appeal. Maybe it’s because you could get away with it in the music industry, maybe it’s because he did it with enough panache so as to take us all by surprise, or maybe he just lucked out politically and socially. But he did it.

Thus is MINT’s tribute to the man who sold The Man Who Sold the World on cassette. He was Afraid of Americans but eventually broke through their collective psyche to become a true Diamond Dog, a Jean Genie that taught us a little something we didn’t yet know about ourselves.

Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat your tribute to David Bowie today, and tell us how he changed your life. There’s no corner of the world untouched by his sheer longevity and genius.

Pictures: (Clockwise from top) One of Michelle Hamer’s students shows off her newly-created content. Bennie Plymin teaches kids how to knit at his “social knitwork,” Filmmakers set up in front of the Peninsula Short Film Festival screen, and a young David Bowie.

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MINT Magazine  January

2016

bayside & mornington peninsula

THE SOCIAL KNITWORK

By Andrea Louise Thomas BENNIE Plymin is not a one-trick pony. He studied screenwriting at RMIT then started writing for Channel 7’s preschool program, Toybox.

He’s currently costume coordinator for a major children’s live entertainment company, but Plymin’s real passion is knitting.

When he was about eight, he picked up some wool, found a book at the library and taught

himself to knit. He’s been knitting ever since and he’s now sharing his love for needles and wool with children in his Social Knitwork workshops.

“Knitting is not easy,” Plymin points out, but he’s had great responses from kids and their parents. Workshop participants don’t make sock or scarves, they make their own personalized creatures. “It’s not boring. Kids can be creative,” he says. After the workshop, each child receives a Social Knitwork starter pack chock full of knitting goodies so they can continue at home.

While he may not look the part, there is no mistaking his passion. For a different sort of school holiday activity, join The Social Knitwork, (as part of Kingston Arts Creative Lounge Program) on Tuesday, January 19 from 1:30 to 5:30 pm in the foyer at Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale. Bookings: www.kingstonarts.com.au ($45)

FILM STARS

By Andrea Louise Thomas

IMAGINE a warm summer afternoon, perfect picnic basket packed, a cool beverage in your hand whilst relaxing with friends or family; then the sun then sets, twilight turns to the twinkling of night stars and you are captivated by a collection of short films flickering across a big screen. Sound good? If so, don’t miss the 5th annual Peninsula Short Film Festival at the Village Green in Rosebud. The best part is it’s free!

Each year PSFF Festival Director, actor Steve Bastoni rounds up a collection of his friends and colleagues from the film and television industry to come and judge the twelve shortlisted films. Dedicated regular Lachy Hulme will share his expertise and opinions with new judges for 2016: Michala Banas, Pia Miranda, Peter Hellier and Damon Gameau. If you’d like to rub shoulders with the stars, book in to the fully catered VIP tent, but book fast as tickets are strictly limited and you must be 18 or older to enter.

For an illuminating evening, join the stars and enjoy the films at Peninsula Short Film Festival at Village Green, Rosebud on Saturday, February 6 from 4 pm. Films flicker at 7 pm. Festival tickets under the VIP marquee ($150) can be booked online at: peninsulashortfilmfest.com.au.

But that’s not all… keen film buffs can see a groundbreaking new film presented by Oz Indie Films and PSFF, called Broke. Created on a shoestring budget this gritty independent film screens at the PSFF Opening Night Party on Friday, February 5 at 7:30 pm at Rosebud Cinemas.

Don’t miss it. For bookings, scan the QR code or check the website.

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