july 5 - 11 | 2017
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circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
Soul and storytelling By KYLIE WILSON
PAYING TRIBUTE:
Marisa Quigley was inspired by the music of Tom Waits to create a recent cabaret show. PHOTO: Kyra Humphrey
GARDENING WITH
DEBBI
RSPCA
WITH
RED
MOVIE SPIDERMAN
HOMECOMING
WINE TALK WITH
ANITA
SHE has lived and travelled to many parts of Australia, but prolific performer Marisa Quigley loves making her home in the North East and bringing her music to regional audiences. Born in Adelaide to extremely musical parents, and growing up in the Northern Territory, Marisa said she spent her childhood steeped in music. “Both my parents sing in choirs, my mum played classical piano and taught me to read music at a young age,” Marisa said. “I played flute and piano in school and sang in church and school choirs, so I guess you’d say I had a musical upbringing. “I played the flute and performed spoken word recitals at Eisteddfods and played flute in the school band and for school productions and later in the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, but singing was what I really yearned to do.” She was in her early 20s when she seized the opportunity when working at a pub in Katherine which regularly hosted live music. “I gradually got more and more confidence and eventually started gigging regularly when I moved to Victoria and formed blues band Chubby Rae & the Elevators,” Marisa said. Around that time, she also performed in musical theatre, including playing the overbearing Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables in Geelong. Eventually, after meeting husband Darren Christie at a folk festival, she moved to Beechworth in 2014. A seasoned singer and songwriter who has performed all over Australia, she said she prizes the personal connections she makes with people the most. “The people I meet and their stories are what inspire my songs the most, ordinary people with extraordinary stories,” she said. “I write a lot of songs about dead people, it’s a beautiful way to pay tribute.” continued page 3 |