. . . featuring music, lifestyle and fashion in Adelaide
Issue 7 2016
Gig photos of The Screaming Jets
Pigsy
Gig photos at Boom Boom Room
1
Luis Saez-Sanchez
Vince Contarino
Gig photos of Thirsty Merc
MEGAscene • Issue 7 - 2016
Rising Star Media Photography - Video - Design - Media Publishing -
Photography by Sue Hedley
Specialising in music industry photography, portraits and events
www.risingstar.com.au 2
rsm@risingstar.com.au
MEGAscene • Issue 7 - 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
6 17 32
Getting To Know Your Local Musician Interview with Pigsy Interview with Vince Contarino Interview with Luis Saez-Sanchez
26 30 37 38 40 42 44 46 60
48 50 52 62 66
Gig Photos
Zep Boys @ The Gov The Screaming Jets @ The Gov You Can Dance You Can Jive Jac Dalton Band @ Boom Boom Room Whiskey Harbour @ Boom Boom Room Rock Vault Allstars @ Boom Boom Room Concert & Gig Reviews by Jakam Thirsty Merc @ The Arkaba Daytura @ Boom Boom Room
Regular Columns Social Pages Live Sound Advice SA Paranormal Markets in Adelaide Maria’s Column
28 54 58 64
Articles
The Screaming Jets Chrome album Venues: The Rhino Room Don’t Die With The Music Still In You Wishbone Day 3
Lennie Rose Whiskey Harbour 4
Photo by Sue Hedley
MEGAscene • Issue 7 - 2016
MEGAscene
EDITOR’S NOTE
Editor: Sue Hedley
Welcome to Issue 7 of MEGAscene. This issue has more interviews with your local musicians so you can get to know them.
Deputy Editor: David Powell Editor’s Assistant: Maria Szczerba Contributors this issue: Allen Tiller Frank Lang David Powell Maria Szczerba Brian Cain Carina Bonney Louise Miller Jakam Kourasanis Photographer: Sue Hedley
Winter is well and truly here now. Rug up and keep warm. Enjoy this mega issue of MEGAscene, share and like. Regards, The Editor
Sue Front Cover: Pigsy Photo by Sue Hedley
Additional Photography: Maria Szczerba Louise Miller Maxwell Millowick David Powell Luis Saez-Sanchez Allen Tiller Jakam Kourasanis Layout: Sue Hedley Published by: Rising Star Media - www.risingstar.com.au MEGAscene web address: www.facebook.com/megasceneoz Editorial and Advertising enquiries: rsm@risingstar.com.au Telephone: Sue - 0414 984 739 Postal address: PO Box 333 Greenacres SA 5086 © Rising Star Media 2015-2016 All rights reserved
David Powell with Pigsy
All materials published in MEGAscene are subject to copyright. No part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed in MEGAscene are not necesarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is taken for the contents or illustrations of advertisements. This linking to other sites within MEGAscene is provided strictly as a courtesy by Rising Star Media for the convenience of its’ users and Rising Star Media is not responsible for the content of any site linked, or linked within a site, nor does it constitute the endorsement of the web sites or of their policies, products, services or delivery of goods. Rising Star Media will not be held accountable for the content of any postings contained in any site linked or linked within a site, nor does it deem reliable any offers, expert advice, financial opportunities, or otherwise that any such postings should imply.
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MEGAscene • Issue 7 - 2016
Words by David Powell Photos by Sue Hedley
Pigsy “The Front Page and Just Strait was a massive part of my life. It cemented who I was. At that stage I was still Rob.”
The enigmatic, down to earth, master of the strings, who has a voice that could be best described as angelic, is featured here for issue 7. MEGAscene caught up with Pigsy at the Commercial Hotel in Port Adelaide to chat about his 34 years of playing in bands and the ‘never-ending saga of the life of the pig’. Born into the steelworks city of Whyalla, The talent of this man is only limited by his own imagination. Playing with Swanee to touring with the Alan Barnes Band on the Bon Jovi tour, Pigsy has toured both regionally and nationally, and supported bands Misex, Ian Moss, Kate Ceberano, Roxus, Icehouse and Mr Enamel.
the same time and then moved four hundred kilometres away, a bit of a culture shock for a young 18 year old couple.
The same year I had a phone call, some awesome news. Katrina had become pregnant with our first child. So that put a halt on the whole moving to Sydney thing and being a rockstar. The boys ended up moving on and we moved back to Whyalla. We had our daughter and focussed on family for awhile. The second daughter was born in 1989. I was playing the local scene at pubs, the Sundowner and the Westlands. Massive! They were just live entertainment venues before they became pokie bars with dinners, which is what pubs David: What brings us here? do now. I did a lot of years there. During that time I did a few supports with the bands I Pigsy: The never ending saga of the life of was in. The band we did with Charlie was The the Pig. I started off as a musician. A guitar Staff. I did supports for Tommy Emmanuel. I’d dropped into my hands at 7. In Grade 3 my done stuff with my band Paragon with Kate class teacher was a musician brought down Ceberano, Roxus, Ian Moss, Icehouse. from Adelaide to Whyalla. She said there are three students in here who seem to have David: What year was it with Mr Enamel? good pitch, went to our parents and got us guitars. From there I went into playing in the Pigsy: Tommy Emanuel support was 1987, school band, then when I got to 15 it was hit Roxus was 1990 and Ian Moss was about the pub time, even though it was three years 1988. early. I started playing in a band with some good friends, Charlie and Dieter. It was called Sue: Was that with Just Strait? Paragon. Dieter is still around now playing with Clearway. Pigsy: No, this was six years prior to that. This was at Whyalla. January 1992 was when From there I played in the local country scene we moved to Adelaide. My first job here was in the Peninsula. At 18 the boys moved down audio engineer at Front Page. That was all to Port Lincoln. I got the chance about a year pre Just Strait. I joined Just Strait about six later. “Do you want to come down and play months after I come here and at the same bass we are doing five nights a week on the time I was playing with the Allstars, which was coast from Ceduna and Streaky Bay?” Macca, Adam Cocca and Scott Meggs. We had I said, “Yeah, Let’s do this.” floating singers, Johnno one week. It was a So myself and Katrina packed up and moved Monday night session at the Front Page and to the country, from the country to the real was open for anyone. country. We got down there and moved into a flat. We’d both moved out of the home at David: By that time you were really an 6
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never been there and we’d never seen hookers before. We said, “What’s all this?”. It was three degrees and they were clad very lightly. The guys in the car were laughing. “They’re hookers!” “What!” It was one o’clock in the morning and it was freezing. David: How many gigs did you do on that tour? Pigsy: 8 gigs in 10 days and it was called ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’ tour. It was awesome! That was super exciting. After that we came back and I remember thinking “here we go, back to pub gigs”. Not that I don’t respect that and love playing in pubs. It was a culture shock of having two weeks of being spoilt with Taragos and crew and flights and management and “here’s your hotel”. Rockstaritis too. Reality check! We are back in Adelaide and back on the pub scene.
established muso playing serious music. Pigsy: Well that’s where it started. Funnily enough Rob Riley moved into my house with me and my family in Grange. No-one knew who I was and I found out years later everyone thought that I was a friend of his from Melbourne. So it suddenly got everyone buzzing on this new guy from Melbourne when half of them didn’t realise that I was a mate of his from Whyalla. So I think there were a few doors opened there but once the doors were open it was like “Wow! He does play. He’s from where?” That was kind of a weird happening. I didn’t find out till years later. The Front Page and Just Strait was a massive part of my life. It cemented who I was. At that stage I was still Rob. In ’93 I got the chance to go on the Bon Jovi tour with Alan Barnes. Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, we played all the Entertainment Centres. I’d never been to Sydney. We did Melbourne Tennis Centre and then to cut down on flights they gave us a Tarago. I still remember the night we were driving into Sydney. Tzanetto and myself had 8
From that I ended up getting picked up by Rob Riley. I hadn’t played with Rob yet, only lived with him. We’d never been in a band that wasn’t just a jam night. In ’93 Rob asked me to come in the studio and play some bass on the album. I went in and did some stuff on that. All of a sudden we’re out on the road for 3 months. We did a national tour old school in a car, three of us in a bongo van. David: What was that like for someone reading this article? Pigsy: Awesome! It was the best fun! I’d never spent 3 weeks on a beer diet with peanuts. I’d never slept under the stars ... no, it was great fun. You realise how big Australia is when you are driving around Western Australia and every gig is about 10 hours away. David: Did the things that could go wrong usually go wrong? Pigsy: Tyres going wrong, blow out gigs. Our management was in Sydney at the time. Kevin Borich was on the same circuit with us with the same management but a week behind us, doing the gigs a week later. I remember lots of phone calls between him and Rob going, “Yeah, we’re playing at Derby.” “Yeah, that gig’s not happening now.” So Kevin would be ringing up his management. “Yeah that gig is gone”. So now I’ve got 7 days of a no beer
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who are coming into the music scene now that the touring scene has changed.
Pigsy in Bon ‘N’ All
diet and nowhere to stay. David: I always wondered what goes on with touring bands when you’ve got too much time between gigs and are too far from going home and too soon to get to the next gig. Pigsy: Well the days between are the part that drives you bonkers. It’s like the guys at the top end of the scale spend so much time in airports and it drives them bonkers. It’s all about gigging and having fun and doing your thing and getting your songs out there. Then there is all this time in between. Especially in a band that is not at a U2 or Rolling Stones level where there is no Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday gigs unless you are Baby Animals or Barnsy that you can run a venue and still fill it up on a Tuesday night. So there is a lot of down time if you are not that big that really tests you. It makes you think what are you doing out here, especially if you’ve got family. You could quite easily develop drinking and smoking habits because there is so much down time. What am I going to do? I’m going to get drunk. That might not be your usual course of life, but you are sitting in a hotel room, if you are lucky, or sitting in a car. Plenty of time spent in cars and sleeping in vans on the side of the road. But you still wouldn’t give it up. Once you’ve been out there and tasted it, even the down side and the bad things it’s part of it. It is totally a learning curve. I’ve had so much go wrong but so much go right. There is no way I would go back and go down another course. Too many life experiences. It’s been fricken’ awesome!
Pigsy: I’m thinking and I’m hoping that it is starting to get a circuit again. In the ’80’s when I was just a kid, more of a punter than any type of musician, I was just playing and opening up for bands. I just remember the circuit being massive and in Adelaide it was four or five nights a week. It was Misex, The Angels, Australian Crawl, Barnsey; all those bands were out there doing gigs and being on tour every night of the week and they were all full houses. I just remember the circuit thinning out a bit. I moved here in the early ’90’s. I watched that couple of years there where I was in bands doing all these big rooms around town and all of a sudden about early ’93 these big rooms were gone and they were all made into pokie bars. It wasn’t just pokies, it was our mentality that didn’t help as well. Suddenly all the big rooms like the Elizabeth Tavern weren’t there any more. The gigs were still there but we were all moved into the front bar. So it made the scene feel a bit cheaper. We were no longer a venue band, we’d all became front bar bands overnight. There was still gigs there so we weren’t going to bite the hand that fed us. This was different but it was still a gig. So that changed a lot. About the same time I got a phone call on a Sunday morning from Vince Contarino. It was like “what are you up to?” “Recovering from a gig last night”. “Can you put your bass and your bass gear in a cab and come down to the studio.”
So I got there and I was sitting there with Nick Love, Louis, Vince and Paul Kaiser listening to the Adult Toys stuff. “We want you to do a couple of bass tracks.” When?” “Now.” That was an exciting moment. I’d been seeing the Zep Boys play since I was a kid and I remember seeing Paul play in metal bands in pubs in Whyalla when I shouldn’t have been in a pub and thought “wow, these guys are amazing”. All of a sudden they have thrown me in a cab and got me in the studio and gone “play”. So that was a pretty exciting time. It was interesting to find out how this happened. “What made you call me?” David: Have you seen from your time when It was the same studio that we recorded all Rob Riley’s stuff in. They were sitting there you started in the early ’80’s to the people 9
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listening to bass sounds and tracks. They said, “Who’s that?” Louis said, “That’s Pigsy”. That was what persuaded them to give me a call. So there is another stepping stone I owe to Rob. Just starting to realise how much Rob had influenced my social circle. So that was the decision, they had heard some bass tracks I’d done on an album the year before and said “let’s call him now”. We knew each other, we were friends but we just hadn’t ever thought about playing together or doing projects together. It went from there. I ended up playing a couple of tracks - Animal and Poison Forest - and the film clips. That was awesome. That led into me being in the Zep Boys, as we used call them “the Zeppindales”; very handsome men with hair and six packs. I am definitely not the most handsome man and I definitely don’t have a six pack; I have a keg. Getting taken into that fold gave everyone a giggle, even me.
didn’t get into any of that rock stuff - Free, Zeppelin or Sabbath - till the ’90’s and I was in my twenties by then. I was actually a complete synth head. I’m divulging a lot here. Until I came to Adelaide and I joined Just Strait, the Zep Boys and Rob Riley band I ‘d never been in a guitar rock band. I was always in a keyboard band. Every band I was in had a keyboard player and was always very synth based. I’d say the ’80’s Aussie rock. Tonto’s Page: Who is your idol and if you could be onstage with them who would it be?
Pigsy: Half of it has come to fruition. I’ve always been into the Aussie rock thing and Rose Tattoo, even though they were definitely not a synth band, I just loved it when their album in ’92 came out with I Can’t Be Beaten and Scarred For Life. So I always very much admired Angry, Rob Riley and Pete Wells, and then to suddenly be in a band with Rob Riley David: When I first met you I saw this larger and touring with him. than life character and thought you were a bikie, but you were so gentle and welcoming. The other one is all my life I’ve been a massive fan of John Farnham. From seeing him sing I’ve sent out a facebook post asking one of in LRB when I was a teenager. That would be your fans to ask you a question. We’ve got a a dream come true. I’m friends with his son, couple of questions from Tonto’s Page. Rob, on Facebook. He sounds like his Dad and is an amazing musician. So one of the two Tonto’s Page: What made you get into music? who I dreamt of being in a band with has come to fruition but the other hasn’t yet but I will Pigsy: Well, it’s something that I’ve grown up never give up. Thanks Tonto. around although I didn’t have direct contact with family musician members. Though it was David: We talk about living a very good rock only in the last year I actually found out about n roll lifestyle with all the excesses, the trials an uncle who had bought me a drum kit when and tribulations and that. I was two or three. He kept in contact with my mother and watched me grow up. He was my Pigsy: There are definitely plenty of excesses father’s brother, who I’ve still never met. He in rock n roll. That comes from the down died of cancer a couple of years ago. time. You might get drunk at a gig but you’re drunk on Monday and Tuesday waiting for I sort of grew up just knowing music. Having Wednesday to play. a guitar thrown at me at seven and wanting that, having a drum kit from three and just After doing the Zep Boys and a few things I beating that. Bands that influence me? Funnily moved to Sydney in 2000 and lived with Pat enough, for the way I look with the tattoos Picket and Jason Howard and working for the and the rock exterior I was a massive ’80’s band Primary. Then came back in 2000 and I head. I’m surprised I didn’t become a synth ended up falling into mixing at Le Rox live (or player. Anything that had keyboards in it was Breakers), which within a couple of months I just my thing. I just loved it. Guitar was a good somehow ended up being the Entertainment thing and it has paid my way through life but Manager and booking all the bands. I had a bit I was a massive ’80’s head; INXS, Noiseworks, of a run at the new metal scene on it’s last Mental As Anything. I loved Aussie Rock. I legs with Full Frontal Lobotomy. 10
We ended up being number 1 on the SAMIA charts. We were there for several weeks and then we got pushed off by Parkway Drive and I Killed The Prom Queen. Who just knocked us off the charts? My first hearing of them was being knocked off the SAMIA charts. Now they are on Epitah Records and they are a huge concern. They are headlining festivals in Europe. They have gone from being Byron Bay boys on Resistor and now Massive. 15 years later I So it doesn’t feel so bad when you are knocked off by the band of the decade. David: So what happened next? Pigsy: I started having a label called Big Phat Adelaide through Sony/BMG. It was the Red Shore, who ended up going through the roof, Later That Night, I had Low from Queensland all signed to my label. I’d actually came in at the wrong end of the industry. That was about 2005 or 2006 and by then pirating had gone through the roof. I remember later that night I had the master in my hands ready to press and I find a link to their new album online. I hadn’t got it to the printing stage yet but had got it mastered but not pressed and printed. If bands don’t sell albums at the gigs they get downloaded. He said “I’ve got the same problem”. We were getting one download in an hour, he was getting 100 downloads every hour. It just put a major hole in the industry and so we just shut shop. The label was going for eighteen months.
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fill in gig with cover bands, from Salisbury to Morphett Vale. Then I got the itch to go and play live again. In 2011 I got the chance to book for Mastercraft. I thought “Heck yeah! Half of these acts I grew up with. If I can hang out with these guys for a week then I’m in”. So I thought I would bring Full Frontal Lobotomy back to life again. So I grabbed Jorge, a young guy Cameron and another young guy Andrew Abbott. I’d know him since he was 12. He came around for a jam and he got the gig. So we went out with that and it was awesome. The Full Frontal Lobotomy band did a spot in Adelaide. The rest of the tour there was massive bands from every State on it. So we just did the Mastercraft set. That was awesome! Rockstaritis stuff again. The last time for us, especially me and Jorge, was 1993. We’d have an 8 year break. We were back in the big time! David: Did you find it hard to get back into it? Pigsy: We are back. It’s awesome. Jorge and I are the whores of the metal scene. We’d play at the opening of a letter.
Pigsy: Shortlived. It was only a week. Then back to pub gigs again. Not a good time and not a good decision by me. I got roped into getting involved in politics. I pulled the videos down and pulled the track off iTunes. I got involved with one of the political parties. I did a track called Enough is Enough, anti carbon Sue: Your label was through Modern Music tax. It got taken to Canberra and played on the who had distribution through Sony? lawn on Parliament House. I was the muppet of a management person. This was 2011. Pigsy: Yes, a subsidiary through Modern Music. It was just getting too hard. It was David: You’ve also had short stints in other actually costing money for the pressing and bands such as Bon ’n All. printing. For every cd in a kids hand there was 4 downloaded. So I went away from that and Pigsy: Yes, I’ve had a few short stints in and then was at a music shop. I must have had out of bands. Like filling in with High Voltage rocks in my head. when JJ is away on holidays, a member of Bon N’ All for a couple of years on and off and on David: I would have imagined it would be fun. and off. Redback Fever; I did an Angels thing for a little while there. Let It Be Beatles; I was Pigsy: It was a lot of fun. I hung out with a actually the founding member with Michael lot of good people. It was an awesome 3 or back in the day. Yes I spend a lot of time in 4 years. It led into things like doing gigs with concepts. Along with playing in Rokhouse and Steve Vai. During the record label time I really filling in with other bands. wasn’t doing any playing. I had the shop going and the label going. I was doing the occasional David: Is there is anyone that’s musically 11
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inclined in Adelaide who does not know you?
out for that. We went to Sydney and played in 2012 at the Gaelic Club. We had a great Pigsy: There’s a new generation David. I’m gig there with four other bands and raised finding that now as you get over 30, and I’m some money. We put the single out for that a little bit over that, a lot over that, you are which was Live My Life. At that stage I think forgotten very quickly. Unless of course you I was calling myself the Spencer band. That are a Jimmy Barnes or a massive artist. As a was basically the guys who had done the local artist you really have to make a stand Lobotomy and Mastercraft tour with me, otherwise from generation to generation it’s but now we were wearing suits and playing like “who’s that old fart?”. The first hurdle is acoustic guitar. not getting insulted by them and then not spending too much time trying to bore them I forgot something really funny. In 2010 with “Do you know who I used to be?” That I’d actually put together a band called The could be a trap as well. Thieves with a bunch of banjos and mandolins and with young Ben. He was helping me out David: When you name drop and no-one has at the shop. He was playing in a little punk heard of any of them! band called Perfectly Frank. I spoke to him, the drummer and bass player. We thought it Pigsy: Yes, it gets to that stage. I’m saying would be really good to something folk yet to some of these young fella’s there are punk but you need mandolins and banjos for guys who are massive and have written some that. Okay, I’m going to buy a mandolin and a massive songs and been in massive bands in banjo. Funnily enough, I’ve oversold the act, Australia and they know the band but they which hasn’t even had it’s rehearsal yet or don’t know any of the members’ names. any original songs, to Vince Contarino. Enter They say, “Who’s that?”. I say “Don’t worry Vince from stage left and said, “Vince, you‘ve sunshine, go on the net. Google is your best got two shows coming up at the Gov. Do you friend.” want an opening act? What do you reckon? It’s just acoustic, a bit of banjo and and a bit Sue: So you released a single too? of mandolin.” He says, “What?!” “I’m playing banjo and mandolin.” “Okay, you can open Pigsy: The one for the Canberra, “Enough is up.” Enough” went 118 on the national ARIA charts which is awesome for a song but because it So we thought let’s not be Ben and Spencer was a political comment opinion song about a or Spencer and Ben, let’s call it The Thieves. month in after some nasty death type threats All of a sudden because of Vince’s high and attacks from the other side rotation advertising we became “Oh, The politics, keep away from it. People either loved Thieves .Who are The Thieves?”. We were it and were 100% for it or they hated it and everywhere on the net and on television and were 100% against it. So I actually pulled the all the pull through. All of a sudden I’m getting YouTube video down and pulled the single off a call from Sasha Sewell. “Pigsy, what is this of iTunes because I realised although I agreed Thieves thing?” “It is pseudo punk acoustic with what I’d written and the content that I was folk trip band.” He said, “Awesome! 29th against the carbon tax I wasn’t that strongly January, do you want to put it aside for me?” against it that I would have put myself and my I said, “Sure.” My little brain said January family in danger. So then I bounced to the next 29th is Adelaide Big Day out. I just melted. stage where I did a single for a young fella Leo He wouldn’t say that to me. I’ve googled and who had inoperable cancer. He was two years then I’m getting excited without any facts. old and we were trying to raise money to see “Ben I think we have been booked for Big Day what they could do. The family was just an Out, I think we’ve been booked for Big Day average Australian working family and he was Out!.” related to a good friend of someone right up there in the industry. We were just trying to Sasha said, “I’m going to come and see you help. It wasn’t just because it was someone at The Gov.” I said, “It’s not the band, it’s just we knew, it was a good cause. We put a single the duo.” He said, “I want to see the band.” 12
We’d hadn’t had a rehearsal yet. We were still only a duo. We didn’t even have a band yet. He knew the calibre of who was doing it and the fact that we were all over tv and it’s bigger than Ben Hur. We weren’t even as big as an ashtray at that stage. We hadn’t even done a rehearsal and this stuff was happening. So we got a banjo and mandolin that week and went in the show every night. We were there till 10 o’clock every night. Me learning to play the instruments and him pulling out a chord progression that was cool and singing about “drink up your poison” and “a punch in the far never felt so good” and those classic type punk innuendos and turned them into songs. All of a sudden it went from there. That was a killer ride. Our actual first ever actual show was supporting Sham 69 at Enigma Bar. We hadn’t done anything yet and we were doing international supports. So it was the power of social media and just doing the packs up enough to make it look like we were a big band. Then hoping we’ve the goods and while we are onstage everyone doesn’t throw bricks at us. It was a live show. By the time we got it together we had Cat Williams, renowned number 1 chick skater on acoustic guitar, a bunch of young guys, our mandolin player was originally Ben’s little brother who used to do backflips on stage while playing mandolin. It was a live show that you just went wow! Hence, we did the Big Day Out and then it just rolled. We were flat out. Filling up Enigma, filling up The Gov, filling up Fowlers. All original. We put an EP out called “Drink Up Your Poison”, which I tried to rehash with Big Phat Adelaide. So I had BPA001 for the record label and re-released it under that. It really went well to the point that I definitely became an alcoholic. We were playing a lot as a duo during the week and Saturday and Sundays as a full band. It was some of the most exciting times of my life. As all things come to an end and being told “stop drinking you are going to die”. So you stop drinking and you start refocusing and wake up and think that playing banjo in a punk band isn’t what I am all about.
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go there as a Christian even though I always had faith. I went there as a hired sound guy. “Sunday mornings, it’s a 7.30 start. We can’t afford much. Do you want to come in and mix the band?” I’m thinking I’m going to rock up and there is one mic and a pa that is crusty. So I rock up there and it’s all real gear and a real pa. First Sunday morning, a 7.30 start. I was getting home at 5am from gigs so shower and straight to church. Still drinking. Second week, same thing. Three weeks in I had an epithamy. The band were doing a Hillsong song and I arose and found myself standing there crying. Never been around the Christian circle. I’m a big tattooed tough guy. I was freaking out trying to hide it. “There is something in my eye.” There is no way anyone is going to see me cry. I actually went to Kevin and Anthony after and said, “I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t stop crying.” “Your heart is opening up to something you love.” From there I went through to doing religious education and being a counsellor. Going to national conferences. That was my life solid for two years. I still love the guys and I still go there. I got to the stage where I realised that I couldn’t offload other people’s problems. I’d go into a counselling session just helping people and they’d walk away light hearted and I’d walk away feeling like I have bricks in my guts. I can’t help people if I’m broken. In a counselling situation you hand it on to God and if you don’t know how to do that then you are bogged down and I was heavy bogged. At this stage I was doing stuff at the Hampstead and Repat with John Swan. Just acoustic stuff. I was going in and playing for the patients and returned soldiers. David: What’s that like going through the epithamy, then working with someone who is considered a legend in music, and working with him closely and taking that passion to help ing people who are in hospital and so broken physically?
Sue: Is that when you found God?
Pigsy: It was still a heavy thing in my heart to be there but you realise that you are helping Pigsy: Yes, actually I then caught up with an them and it lifts that feeling. It just feels old friend of mine, Anthony Tucker, whose good. We are so caught up in our first world band I used to book into Breakers and Le Rox. problems. My car won’t start, I’ve stubbed my He had become a pasteur. Funny story, I didn’t toes, I’ve broken my arm. These people are 13
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bedridden, these people are broken, some can’t talk. My life is pretty awesome and I want to share some of that with them. John is 100% like that as well. He is awesome. He’s at the Salvos every Wednesday night feeding the homeless. People don’t realise because he doesn’t want the accolades, he doesn’t want to be idolised. He just wants to help these people. He’s full time. I spend a couple of days a week helping these people. I love helping people. I suppose the first thing you’ve got to do is protect your own heart. If you give 100% away, it’s definitely not a bad thing but if you are broken you can’t help people. So I realised that at that level it gets to me too much. I just help when I can. in a lesser capacity but not in a lesser capacity. I definitely haven’t moved away from the church. Sue: Did you get baptised?
it was awesome. Halfway through Year Nine I realised that they weren’t very strict on their truancy. By that stage I was living on a farm and it was 20km out of town and we didn’t have a phone so it was very easy not to go to school. I turned 14 in March of that year and it was my last day of school. I remember going home and saying I’m not going back to school, I’m over it. 24 hours later I got a job working in a plant nursery. From there I was doing that and then into music. Sue: What was your favourite subject at school? Pigsy: Art and music. Look who has won the painting prize again. I was right into it till Grade Three then I got put into Miss Barbara Williams’ class. That was when my life changed. She was from Adelaide, this hotshot teacher. They went looking for musical students to put in her class. I ended up in her class and playing guitar and it went from there.
Pigsy: Yes, back in 2013 on Christmas Eve. I had the whole family there and the whole Sue: What instruments do you play? dunking process. We had full water baptism. It was awesome! Pigsy: Anything that is not brass or woodwind instruments. Keyboards, drums, bass, piano Sue: You were raised Catholic and are you badly, mandolin, banjo, bazouki. now Pentacostical? Sue: Do you record at home? Do you play all Pigsy: Yes, I am Pentacostical Christian. None the instruments yourself? of my beliefs were threatened by the other so it went from there. My family all tripped out. Pigsy: Yes, most of my demos I do myself. I remember getting an inbox from my sister Especially when you get to that musician’s life saying “You’ve finally found where you should where you are recording at one in the morning. be”, and my family aren’t religous. They were It’s a bit hard to call your mates to come over. saying “We always know this is where you So many half finished demos. That’s the bad would end up.” “What! If I didn’t know then thing about working at home on your own you didn’t know.” equipment. You over edit, over think, and for every five songs you get out there there is David: Is it something that they’ve always fifty songs there that are not good enough, seen in you since you were a kid? but no-one else has heard it. That’s a real trap when you got your own studios. You are not Pigsy: Since I was a kid I’ve always tried to looking at the clock saying this is costing five help people. hundred dollars. You get complacent.
Sue: Did you go to Sunday School when you Sue: Do you make your own video clips? were young? Pigsy: Yes, you have to do everything yourself. Pigsy: No. but a private high school - St Johns The booking of venues has come through College. I was raised by my Grandmother. I got having to book my bands myself. The venue to High School. I thought “Uniform, religion? owner says “You are really hard to deal with What are you doing to me?” I went there and and you always seem to be getting your own 14
way. Will you work with us?” That’s how I started booking at Le Rox in 2000. It was just through being in a band and being a ball breaker to the venues and them saying “we are going to hire you because if you work from this side of the fence like that let’s see how you work from the other side of the fence for us”. Now I’m back in booking venues again. My friends Nick and Alex I know from the Marble Bar days in the city. We’ve come in and gone “let’s make a go of it.” A music venture concern, not just a pub on the corner. First we got a pa and a stage and make it from a pub on the corner into a venue. What bands are around? There are the circuit bands. Let’s get some people who aren’t from Port Adelaide as well to come and enjoy Port Adelaide as well. So we are bringing in bands from Norwood and Salisbury, not just the local bands. Sue: Who is Norah Van? Pigsy: Norah Van is basically our version of the Front Page Allstars. Sue: There is no Norah?
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David: It comes across very strongly in all your Facebook posts that you are a family man. Pigsy: I think family is really a strong thing with me because it keeps my sanity. In the entertainment industry there is a lot of insanity. I keep them separate. When it’s family time, it is hard because of mobile phone and Facebook so you are always contactable, but when that’s the day it would take an emergency to get me away from that. In the ’90’s and 2000’s I went through where I was just focused on becoming a rockstar, of getting bigger and becoming a household name. It’s not sour grapes that it never happened but I think it would have drove me insane if it did. I might have been a nut job. It may have destroyed my psyche and destroyed me as a person. There was a lot of energy used on that. But now I don’t know if that is what I wanted. Of course, if I had made it and made a million dollars then that would be a different story. There was a lot of energy used where family were ignored and friends were ignored. I realised that 15 years ago that the 100 people that were in my direct social circle or in my life were musicians and I had no normal friends. That was an epitomy in itself. I need to know some normal people. The level that people work at as musicians mentally, not saying they are dumb or smart because there are both levels of the scale, they are very focused. Your whole conversation is music, your whole social life is music, your whole going out is to see a band. None of this going to a cafe to have a coffee and just hang out. Is a band playing there? If not, I’m not going. You get into that rut where everything is about live music.
Pigsy: No. Originally I was going to call it Bloody Norah. I thought no, it’s a bit bogan. What seems to be really cool is having a girl’s name. It’s got Mick from Let It Be Beatles in it, it’s got Pete from Evenflow, it’s got Jorge from Rock The Boss, We rotate some players. It’s a great little band with rotating singers. We don’t usually have the same singers twice in a row. It’s the beauty of a non static lineup as it keeps it exciting for the players and the punters too. Good for the venue and good for the punters too. It’s been doing awesome. Being a social media nut like I am. Sorry to Sue: You’ve gone from playing in a band to everyone out there, you’ve all been tagged at doing solo gigs. least once this week! Pigsy: It’s just the time thing. I love getting It’s a really hard market now. I remember up and playing and being around people and buying a house in Port Adelaide 20 years ago being onstage but I cannot say that I like and she was a rough suburb - it was men are being locked in a room with a bunch of smelly men, beer drinkers, wharfies. It was hard. I blokes, including myself, bashing through remember coming down here when I was in songs to learn. my twenties and thinking “What have I done.” Now it’s all sweethearts and families. So our I’m still writing, I’m still recording. I’ve changed biggest hurdle is convincing people it’s a my focus on my writing style, being that now family suburb now. there is not a lot of keyboards. After going through the Irish music thing and through the 15
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whole mandolin thing, I enjoy that angle of ‘acousticity’ if there is such a word. David: Your whole journey has been amazing.
just trying to get on with everyone. If I can make someone smile or forget about how bad their day is I love doing that. It is a focus but it is not everything about me. I want to play every weekend and do gigs and have fun myself and I love doing that but that is not everything about me. Family would be my strongest focus now but it is not detracting from music. As you get older you can actually find spaces to fit everything without saying “I’ve got to do this today as I didn’t do it yesterday.” Cool, I’ll do it tomorrow. As long as there is no-one waiting on a deadline you can do it tomorrow.
Pigsy: Journey is a good word. It has been a journey. Sitting back, there always been times there where I have had addiction to substance abuse. I think especially the young striving musician, and it’s not everyone, I’m speaking for myself but you can fall into that substance abuse, being alcohol or pot or whatever your substance of choice is. For some people it becomes love or girls or with some people it can be success. Success can be the biggest drug. Striving for that you can run yourself David: When you get to your standard into the wall. I did that for 10 or 12 years. of success, a lot of the musicians don’t That was all I could focus on. Block friends, necessarily plan for the future. block family! Focus focus, win win! Pigsy: I think the biggest thing we all overlook is looking into our future and how we are going David: Is it a byproduct of your alto ego? to live when we get older. If I stop gigging I Pigsy: Definitely! We’ve all got egos. If anyone am broke. The smart ones have got a trade says that they haven’t got an ego and they behind themselves or done something in their play music for themselves I will hand them off time. a lentil burger and a necklace made out of flowers. I love music. It’s not what I am but Sue: So you haven’t created a business, just a it is a big part of my life and my love. There job for yourself? is some ego. The largest part is probably creativity, and actually finishing something Pigsy: Even as a consultant, if I hand the reigns and being creative. I’m sorry but everyone over to someone else they are not going to likes to be appreciated. You don’t spend 30 do it like me. I found that with a couple of gigs years of your life doing something and saying I’ve done then if I’m are not involved then “Well, I don’t care if you like it”. That sounds they are not doing it. I’m not a bighead, I’m a like sour grapes to me. Of course you care social media nut. I post at two, four, six, eight, if other people like it otherwise you wouldn’t ten in the morning, midday, five o’clock, six do it. That’s not from an ego point of view o’clock. I don’t sleep a lot. I loved MySpace. that’s just from feeling successful. Everyone I was the last to go on Facebook out of my has different levels of feeling successful. Ten group. It doesn’t have video, it doesn’t have years ago my point of success was being on tv gifs, I hated it, but everyone was on it. every night and playing the big venues every week and having my name on everyone’s lips. I’m a pretty simple kind of guy. Everyone do Now it’s getting up every day and playing a their bit in getting live music live again and go gig a week and hanging out with my family, and support a pub that supports live bands, hanging out with my grandson, hanging out duos and solos. Let’s all get on. Stop the hate with my friends, having a coffee. I find that on Facebook. It is such an awesome social involvement catchup/information soothing and I find that successful. Things like media that change and where your focus is and your platform. Let’s fill it with music and love. To all the haters learn to love ... yes, I’m a hippie. points of what you call success. www.facebook.com/lobotomy01 www.facebook.com/pigsyworld Pigsy: I’m definitely here for the long haul. https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/pigsy/ Sorry for all the haters. Family and music and id578300476 David: What does the future hold for Pigsy?
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Vince Contarino Words and Photos by Sue Hedley
“I want all meat and no sausages; I don’t want any sawdust.”
Vince Contarino started in the Adelaide music scene about 40 years, playing in various bands including The Dukes, Mega Boys, Serpentine and Magnum. For the last 30 years he has been performing in his Led Zeppelin tribute band Zep Boys. I caught up with Vince by telephone interview.
not such a bad idea and I put it Mario Maiola when I came back. It was when I first started working with him back then and I actually tried to convince him not to promote the Zep Boys. I always thought rock music was dead and buried. I said, “Mario, save your effort, do something that at least renumerates you, that makes you money back for all your effort Sue: It’s the Zep Boys 30th anniversary this you put back in, but I don’t know, I just don’t year. How does it feel to still be playing in the trust this whole rock game anymore. The same band for 30 years? venues are gone”. Vince: If it was doing nothing but 30 years straight it would be a different story. There’s been a lot of interesting things that have happened over those 30 years. Lots of different projects to keep me stimulated; musical projects, theatre, all sorts. To be playing thirty years later I am very proud and I’m feeling blessed. All the experiences I’ve had, the people I’ve met, the things I’ve learnt; it’s been a wonderful journey. The best part about it has been the gigs; the music and the people coming to the gigs celebrating that we all have one thing in common and that is the love of Led Zeppelin music. It’s a bit more than that too. It is the love of music and rock music and where it transports us to, so it’s been wonderful.
He said, “Ok leave it with me.” He believed in it. And when I came back he said “See, that was good. What do you want to do next?” “I wouldn’t mind working with an orchestra.” He said “Leave it with me”.
Then I went on to do some theatre. Anyway, about 3 or 4 months later he rings me in Brisbane and goes “I’ve got a couple of dates here in July blah blah blah at The Festival Theatre.” I’m there “Festival Theatre? Wow!”, because we used to do The Gov. “Wow! Festival Theatre! Do you think that is a good idea?” “Yeah, we are doing it with the Orchestra.” I said, “What!” He goes, “You told me that you wanted to do it with an orchestra. Don’t you want to do it Sue: You have done quite a few shows with anymore?” Symphony Orchestras in different States. Tell “No, no, no, I do, I do!” me how that came about. Vince: We were doing the tour of New Zealand many years ago, 2002 or something like that, and we were travelling all the way through New Zealand in this little bus type vehicle. And we were on the South Island and where they had filmed Lord Of The Rings. It was beautiful. It evoked that feeling of grandeur. We were talking about Lord of The Rings, the big production and what a great movie it was and how we could make Led Zeppelin music more epic by adding an orchestra. Ha ha ha, laugh laugh! The thing was, you know, it was
Zep Boys live
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Even the orchestras themselves love it. It is quality composition. Who would have thought that we would have gone from playing at the Findon Hotel to the Sydney Opera House! Really! Sue: Was the show there with the Sydney Orchestra? Vince: It was an orchestra called the Lyric Orchestra. They are all sub-contractors, so to speak. They called themselves the Black Dog Orchestra for the night. Brilliant musicians. Absolutely! There are some clips of them on Facebook.
I just thought that this was a joke but no, he put it together. I think that the Sydney orchestra at the time was struggling to be recognised as a valid entity because they were losing touch with the common person. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but this was the observation and perception that I made of it. I think they needed to be seen to be doing something to push the Orchestra a little bit more contemporary, and they must have thought that this was a good vehicle to do that. It wasn’t easy to put together but we managed through all the challenges and it was highly successful. That was in 2004 or 2005 that we did that and ever since we have been doing these orchestral shows. We did Darwin at the amphitheatre there in front of 6,000 people outdoors. We did two sellouts at the Sydney Opera House. We did two sellout nights at the Festival Theatre with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and we are about to do shows with the Queensland Orchestra in Brisbane and then we do the Hamer Hall in Melbourne in July. 18
They are different arrangements to what we’d done with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. It is run by Nic Buc, an Australian boy who lives in New York. He is a conductor/arranger. He works with Tina Arena and he writes film scores and stuff; a very talented boy. So it has been an incredible journey from pubs to biker festivals to the Sydney Opera House and working with symphony orchestras. It happened organically; we really didn’t force it. It is something that happened on it’s own. I’m not one of these guys who likes to force things and create hype. I like to take the opportunity to put together something and present it because I believe in it and I like it. I think that the skill for something like the Zep Boys is that if you are able to find a way of marketing to let people know what’s going on you don’t need to sell it because it sells itself. The only thing that we need to do is to ensure that we let people know that it is in good hands and we are going to treat it with the upmost respect, integrity and passion so they go “This is not a ripoff.” So many acts out there try to ride the coat tails of somebody else’s brand and you find yourself highly disappointed when you go and see the show. Which is another reason why I think we lasted 30 years. because we have our brand and people know that when we do something it is going to be of a certain standard. Sue: When you first started the Zep Boys 30 years ago did you think that you would still be playing in it 30 years later? Vince: Yeah, I suppose that’s a question that has to be asked . . . no, not really! To be
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honest we really thought were just going to do a handful of gigs and that was it. It was just a labour of love, let’s put it together and let’s do a few shows. When we first started it was Tony Lavis and Rob Pippan and Alex Krstic; I’d never worked with them before. I’d just met them and they played the music really well and I thought okay this would work, let’s do these shows and have a little bit of fun. We were received so well. A lot of that crowd was The Duke’s crowd anyway. We used to do a little bit of Zeppelin in The Dukes as a medley and stuff. So there was a big Dukes contingent in the crowd. A lot of other people were genuinely interested in Led Zeppelin and we’d stumbled across something and we thought let’s keep it going. The people seemed to like it and the hotels loved it because we were putting bums on seats, so to speak. We had no idea that we would go for 30 years.
disagreeing with other things, which I treasure more than anything because music and businesses come and go but let’s face it friendships don’t. He used to love filling in because he has a genuine love of Led Zeppelin; he loves the music to death.
He had that health scare four or five years ago Sue: The lineup has changed a bit over the with his heart and while he was recuperating years. From the first lineup how many shows he learnt to play the keyboards and now he does the John Paul Jones thing exactly like did you do with your first lineup? Led Zeppelin used to do; play Kashmere, The Vince: Then we used Steve McLennan to play Rain Song and No Quarter. He learnt to play drums, from the Mega Boys. He came in for keyboards with an unbelievable amount of Tony Lavis and then we got Warwick (Cheatle) discipline and dedication. and John (Zak) to join and we played with that lineup and toured Australia. Sue: How many years was that? Vince: I’d say that lineup was at least two years. Then Paul Kaiser joined. Paul was there for a long time. In the years that Paul was there we changed bass players about three or four times. There was Chris Baldock and Rob Spencer Pigsy. Then we had Jamie Law on guitar and Steve Crafter played with me for awhile. Then I did a reunion with John Zac, Warwick and Pippan and we did a handful of those shows. We played with Steve Williams for quite some time. He was in for about five or six years, maybe more. Mind you, all the musicians I have worked with have been fantastic. They have been brilliant. Now the lineup that I’ve got is Tzan Niko on guitar, and Bradley Polain on drums, and of course Warwick. Warwick used to come in and fill in for some of the bass players when they weren’t available. Warwick and I have always maintained a friendship regardless of 20
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Sue: When Paul Kaiser came into the band did Vince: I’m really proud of that band because he replace Rob Pippan? we were doing the numbers that the Zep Boys do now as an original band. That was pretty Vince: Yes. Rob had this Yamaha competition clever actually. We had an intensity about us. that he won with Karen Ingliss in Eve and so I don’t think I’ve played with a band since that he pursued that and that is why we got Paul. had the passion that The Dukes had since I knew he was a very talented guitar player because we were young and full of beans. We and he still is. So yeah he came along and attacked everything with so much fervour he actually lifted the band to another level and vigour. We burnt out. We just couldn’t because he was quite the performer as well. break through into the recording scene and So the crowd loved him. He used that guitar everything, which is what they wanted as a and his body language and danced with the band and entity. It just didn’t happen. It just music. He did lift it quite a lot. So they were found it’s natural course unfortunately. good years. But one thing leads to another and there is disagreements - band disagreements Sue: When were The Dukes around? and business disagreements - so we went our separate ways. That’s what happens. Vince: 1980 we started till I think late ’83, early ’84. About 4 years. We toured the Sue: Was Serpentine the first band you were whole of Australia. We did it really tough in in? the early stages but we had some magnificent experiences, meeting lots of international Vince: That was my first touring band. I artists, once again learning our craft and was in bands before that and I had my own learning more about the business. I was original band in ’73/’74. We were only kids. always keen to learn about how the musicians We managed to play at the Fiesta Villa, which themselves worked in the business because was The Findon Hotel. We’d won a songwriting we were never exposed to recording company competition and offered recording contracts executives because they would hang out with and all that stuff and I wasn’t even 16. lawyers and accountants, but the musicians themselves we could talk to. Some of the Sue: What was the band called? older ones would tell it from their perspective. So you know we got a lot of experience and Vince: That was called Magnum. That was way information from people like Stevie Marriott, back in the mid ‘70s. Then I met people like and working with people like Canned Heat. I Ron Freer and Tony Parrella we formed a band learnt a little about it. It just cemented the called Serpentine and that was really good. I fact that you had to be more than just a learnt a real lot. That was a cover band but I musician, you had to survive in the industry. learnt a great deal about the music industry You couldn’t expect people to open doors for with that band because I got to tour all of you unless you had something to offer them. Australia. I worked with top agents and top And most people in business what they want rooms. I got to meet lots older musicians that is money. So you had to find some way of are my age now and I was only 18. So I got giving them an opportunity, of saying “here is to meet a lot of older musicians who I learnt a way to earn some money for you”. It made from. Not only that, we were playing songs by me think about my music a little differently, Boz Scaggs, George Benson, Supertramp and of how I approached it. The challenges were others; you really had to learn your music so always there, it wasn’t just about waking we became pretty skilled at playing our stuff up in the morning and writing songs. It was, and it set me up really well. I was thankful but it was more than that and there was a for Serpentine. Actually a band like that would certain way of dealing with business. We were probably still do really well as they were a top exposed to a lot of hard people. It took us a quality act. while to understand it. We thought you got to be rough and tough and talk tough to get Sue: You are probably most well know from somewhere. It was wrong. People don’t want The Dukes and that is where most of your to deal with megalomaniacs and overpowering crowd came from to see the Zep Boys initially. aggressive people. There is a difference 21
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between being aggressive and being assertive. So over the years I kinda’ learnt to be well mannered and you have to offer something to people. You have to be true to that offer and honour it and that’s where the hard work comes in. It’s been a good journey of learning and I think that’s the same in life or in any business.
Vince: How wild were those days?!
Sue: That would be great for a reunion show after all these years.
Sue: Was The Mega Boys after The Dukes and before the Zep Boys.
Vince: It would be. It would have to be in the right environment. It would have to be treated as a special event rather than just a gig. I’d hate it to be like a gig and no-one turns up. Someone would have to convince me why we are doing it, how we are going to do it and why it’s going to be successful and then I’d be really happy to do it. But otherwise I just wouldn’t want to do it for the sake of doing it. I’d rather just hook up at a barbeque with a bunch friends; that would be fun.
Vince: Actually, almost virtually at the same time. Mega Boys came along a little before but when Bruce and went to play with Jimmy to do another tour and they were going to be gone for two months or so I thought let’s do this Zep Boys thing. At least it will kill a little bit of time and I’m doing something positive. As it turns out The Zep Boys just overshadowed everything I had ever done.
Sue: They were fun times! Vince: Yeah incredible! They were different times. Most of those people are 50 plus now.
Sue: A lot of people grew up with The Dukes in their twenties or late teens. They still come to Sue: Is there any chance of The Dukes doing The Zep Boys gigs now, after all these years. a reunion? Vince: They do. I’ve been very lucky. When I Vince: Oh Sue . . . I don’t know! It would be was with Mickey Finn and The Mega Boys there wonderful and romantic. Speaking romantically was a lot of that Dukes crowd that I brought it would be lovely but I don’t know. People are along with me as well. It’s been fantastic. It’s scattered all over the place. Bruno had health been wonderful, and they still come to gigs. issues. I would love to but I wouldn’t want to exacerbate any health issues that he’s got Sue: You have a lot of younger fans too. and make people feel uncomfortable. It’s not my call but other than that I would be willing. Vince: Yes, God bless them. That is usually Mum and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa. I’d put my hand up and say I’d give it a go.
Sue: Thirty years is a big part of your life from when you were young until now. You are still Sue: The Bridgeway Hotel would be good. You young now but you are a lot older and a lot wiser but you are still young at heart. used to play there all the time. Vince: A little bit wiser, a lot older! Sue: Have you ever thought about recording a tribute album?
Zep Boys
Vince: It’s difficult for me because the original is there. It’s never gonna’ get any better than that. I just think we will keep it live, perform it live, because they are not doing it live. If someone were interested in doing a DVD of a live show I’d be more inclined in doing that because it is a performance. That I would be interested in. For the sake of just a CD, no, we have the best and the greatest; Led Zeppelin. 23
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Sue: Did you grow up as a big fan of Led Zeppelin? Vince: Absolutely! Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple. I got to work with John Lord and I never thought that I’d be able to do that. That’s the sort of music that I love. That’s the rock music that I really did enjoy. I like all sorts of music - jazz and blues, funk stuff, Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown. I even like some country music, some classical music. I go to a lot of classical piano recitals, symphony orchestras. I like all sorts of music but the one that gets my blood going, the one I like to perform the most is rock music because there is something energetic and sweaty. I love it. I love the aggression. I like that you can still be skilful while you are putting in 100 percent physical effort. It challenges me and it’s something I feel that I’m most suited to. Sue: With the shows that you are did at the Gov to celebrate 30 years where is the tour taking you next? Vince: We are doing Brisbane and Melbourne shows. They will be with an orchestra. The reason why we are doing the Gov is we haven’t played there for a couple of years. We haven’t been able to and we try to play The Gov every year. Last year we did Clipsal then we did the Festival Theatre with the orchestra. We couldn’t really do The Gov too as we would be spreading ourselves too thin. That’s why we are doing The Gov this year. We didn’t plan it. It just coincided that it is 30 years. It has just come at the right time. It is a nice good organic thing. I’m going to put it out there and make the most of it.
They’ve done it. I’d have to be really convinced. Someone would have to really give me a good sales job on why I wanna’ do it and it would have to be more than money. That’s why I don’t sell t-shirts and paraphernalia and all that stuff because I find it gratuitous. It’s enough that we are playing the music but really to sell this and that to make money I find it unpalatable. It’s not right. I don’t want to test the Gods. We’ve been really blessed with doing well out of the music. I don’t want to turn it into selling fairy floss or show bags at the Royal Show. Let’s just do it for the right reasons. A lot of the promoters that Sue: What are your future plans for the Zep I’ve worked with who are really focussed on Boys? making money say “fair enough, that’s cool, we understand”. I like that. They respect the fact that it’s enough that we are doing the music. If people want to buy Led Zeppelin t-shirts they know where to buy them without us selling them Zep Boys ones. If it was an event, and there was a concert or a big film or stuff like that then that’s a different story, then sure. They are just a money making machine and it distracts me from the art and the performance. 24
Vince: Something I always tell Warwick, “Mate, I don’t work very fast I do things slowly but I’m always thinking of something to do that will be better than the last.” I never thought that it would get any better than working with an orchestra, but there are other countries that would love this. So slowly I want to try to make inroads to present this show overseas. When I say overseas I really would like something in the United States or Europe. I don’t know how to go about doing it exactly but I’ve already started doing some little bits and pieces, sending off some information, gathering some intel with people who would be interested in doing it, without pushing it. I don’t want to push something that people don’t believe in themselves. When the penny drops with this show you usually find that the promoters themselves do a lot of hard work because they believe in it. That’s the only way it’s going to work overseas. If someone says, “we really love this show and we love the way you present this music so we want it” and they will be the ones that will do the work correctly. If you get people who say “I need a couple of filler bands to make my calendar look really good”, I want to stay away from those people. I want to run in the other direction. If you are treating the people that are going to come to the gigs with contempt and you are treating the music and the performance as nothing but a filler, then no. I want all meat and no sausages; I don’t want any sawdust.
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The Zepboys play the following gigs with a 31 piece orchestra: Brisbane Convention and Centre - Saturday July 2nd
Entertainment
Hamer Hall, Arts Exhibition Centre, Melbourne - Friday July 8th/Saturday July 9th
Sue: That’s a good way to put it. You should try the festival circuit in Europe. Vince: I’m happy to do that. As long as we are not sleeping in the back of vans and eating rice and steamed carrots. We are of a certain age. I don’t want five star hotels and I don’t need caviar but I do want to be fit and healthy and sleep well and to be able to perform at a level that we are supposed to perform at. If someone can do that then we are happy to do that. If someone cannot give you the basics where you are comfortable and well looked after then it’s not worth doing it. Give it to someone who is prepared to slave their lives away. I am not prepared to do that. Website: www.zepboys.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/zepboys/
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Zep Boys @ The Gov 27/05/2016 Photos by Sue Hedley
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The Screaming Jets Chrome Release The Screaming Jets released their new album “Chrome” and played dates around Australia to promote the album. It is their seventh studio album and comes eight years after their last. The band is overwhelmed by response from fans and media. Chrome was released on 5th May and debuted first week in at Number 30 on The Mainstream Album Charts, Number 10 on The Australian Artist Album Charts and Number 2 on The Independent Music Charts. The Screaming Jets are Dave Gleeson (vocals), Paul Woseen (bass), Scott Kingman (guitars), Jimi Hocking (guitars) and Mickl Sayers (drums). You can order the Chrome CD and the DVD of last year’s Foxtel Show on line at http://www.nervegas.com.au/screamingjets
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The Screaming Jets @ The Gov 13/05/2016 Photos by Sue Hedley
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Luis Saez-Sanchez
Words by Sue Hedley Photos supplied by Luis Saez-Sanchez Luis Saez-Sanchez has been a musician for many years and then he learnt the art of airbrushing, thus expanding his artistic talents. The highlight of his artwork was when he got to paint a bass drum head for Bun E from Cheap Trick. Bun E had that drum skin on his bass drum when Cheap Trick recently got inducted into the Hall of Fame. MEGAscene talks to Luis about his artwork. Sue: How did it come about for you to airbrush the bass drum head for Bun E from Cheap Trick? Luis: Well when they were here in 2009 they were supporting Def Leppard and I was backstage, as we would catch up usually every time they came into town for a chit chat. I told him that I do airbrushing now. Virtually at the end of the conversation I asked do you want Luis Saez-Sanchez me to paint you a bass drum head. I mentioned to Rick Nelson as well that I would airbrush a Sue: How did you come up with the design? guitar for him too if he wanted. Bun E said “yes you can do that”. Then he gave me his Luis: I looked at a lot of photos of him and a email address and I sent him some shots that lot of designs that I’d seen out there. We had I thought would be sufficient and good for it. to mention Cheap Trick as he is in the band and then have a picture of him. We could have Being basically a graphic art piece you have to a little picture of him and it could get lost consider lighting, the colours and everything or we could zoom up and get what everyone else. If it was done in full colour it would get signifies Bun E with; his glasses, his beard and washed out by the colours onstage. Having moustache. He didn’t have a smoke hanging to realise that you are only seeing it from the out of his mouth. Like I said we emailed closest anyone would get to it is three to five each other a few different ideas and ended metres so it didn’t have to be a high definition up coming up with this one because of the piece. It was just an average piece of work, a concept being black and white for being used commercial piece of work for a product. So I onstage so it would be seen. had to consider the brand name Cheap Trick and I had to consider an image of him that Sue: What comment did Bun E make about could be seen at any distance, use his name the drum head? and use black and white as it would show every light that was thrown on it. Keeping in mind it Luis: He loved it. He thought it was great. He was just a bass drum headthat was going to wrote back saying thank you very much and be used for a few shows, maybe a few photo it was great. That’s about it. He is a man of shoots, maybe an album cover, maybe some quiet words and a few words. posters, whatever. 32
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“He was happy to use it and I was chuffed that he used it. For him to even consider using it or consider giving me the heads up that he was going to use it was nice.” Photos showing the different stages of the painting of Bun E’s bass drum head Sue: Then he left Cheap Trick? Luis: They had some problems and he is out of Cheap Trick. He still is in Cheap Trick as a partner, but he doesn’t play live with them and doesn’t record with them. So he is out but he is still a part of the brand and the name. Sue: Did he tell you that he would be using the drum at the Hall of Fame Inductions?
Bun E with Luis’ artwork on his bass drum skin
Luis: Well, I painted it about seven years ago. It was 2009 when we discussed it first. Then I heard nothing of it and thought well okay he has just got it in his shed and he likes it and that’s it. I had a few conversations through email before. Then at the end of March I got an email from Bun E with a photo and the header of the email said “Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame Induction Drumset”. Then I looked at the picture and it was a new photo that he 33
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Cheap Trick did three songs at the Hall of Fame; “Dream Police”, “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me”. “Then Ain’t That A Shame” was the song that they did with the guys from Deep Purple, Chicago, and Steve Miller at the end of the night. Sue: How did you get to know Cheap Trick?
Bun E’s drumkit set up at Hall of Fame Awards
Luis: We supported them in the mid ’80’s and since then every time they came to town I’ve seen them or we have caught up one way or another. They’ve contacted me or vice-aversa and we just catch up for half an hour to an hour and see how things are going. That is when I mentioned it to Bun E if he wanted that done. Then there was the seven years of not hearing anything and then all of a sudden it is up there on the Hall Of Fame Inductions. Sue: Have you done artwork for other people?
Cheap Trick performing at Hall of Fame Awards had taken and he was pretty happy with it. I did hear on the radio three days before that they were going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and wondered if Bun E was going to do it and if he does was he going to use my skin. Then just like my wish it just happened. That was it. I’ve had a couple of conversations with him via emails as well since then. He was happy to use it and I was chuffed that he used it. For him to even consider using it or consider giving me the heads up that he was going to use it was nice. Sue: It is a great honour for you to be in the Hall of Fame in that little way. Luis: Absolutely. I’d never get there in any other way. So my artwork being there represents me being there. The main thing is they deserve what they got; they got inducted and that was great. All the other bands that got inducted on the night deserved it. Even Howard Kehl’s favourite band Deep Purple got inducted on the same night, There was two of us there in spirit somehow, which is nice. 34
Luis: I’ve done that before for different people, no-one on that scale. Just mainly done a whole lot of commissioned artworks for people, whether it be their parents, or their wives or their children, alive or deceased. I entered some artwork into hot rod shows as a part of the airbrushing community I was with at the time. They won Best Fantasy and Best Lifelike, which were London After Midnight and Nick Cave, which was a piece in the actual lessons of educating myself on how to airbrush properly. Eventually after about 4 months the instructor said “Look, it’s great, just finish it, sign it, it is finished”. They said I should enter it and so I did, and I won first prize for realism for that one. Sue: A lot of people that went to Billy O’Grady’s memorial would remember that you had airbrushed a huge bed sheet. Luis: Of course that was an honour too. Billy was a great man and a great guitarist. He had been around the Adelaide scene for a long time with The Fools. Anyway, The Fools had been around for a long time and I used to see them play many times. That was an unexpected passing of Billy and then they decided to have a memorial. I spoke to Kim about it and he said that would be nice if I did something, so I did. I think I had four days to a week to consider it and get a photo and paint
Some of Luis’ Artworks . . .
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London After Midnight
Scaley RIP portrait
Nick Cave portrait
Billy O’Grady portrait
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it and then get it ready for the event. That was good. We hung it up and everyone who was there left some comments. I think his wife has it now. That’s a memento for her to look at and look back and see all of Billy’s friends and what they thought of him and think of him still. It’s a good thing for people to do. I think we should all probably tell our friends and our loved ones and everyone around us what we feel about them all the time because we never know when something is going to happen. Sue: You have also worked at the Pageant. Luis: Yes, I have. I was lucky to work with David Blight. He’s a great musician and a great artist and a good mentor. I learnt a lot there. I was his finishing sculptor, which means he’d give me the piece in rough, show me the photos of what he wanted, we’d discuss it, and I would do my best to replicate what he wanted. He was more than happy most of the time. I did that a couple of years and worked with another artist called Kit Chambers. One year I finished off all his work at the Pageant. They are a great bunch of guys. They are a very small team and at the end of it all they wanted me to do something so they had their guy build up a hotrod and I painted it, airbrushed just very little on that one. That went out there with someone else’s work in it. That was the Hotrod float. It wasn’t my float but I contributed to it. Everyone said it was my float but it wasn’t my float. There was another talented artist that contributed the mannequins in the front. The craftsmen was down there, the engineers, the metal workers, and the woodworking guys just did a fantastic job. It was a good place to be. A bit scary at night there though. Sue: What year was that?
more artwork and I’m building a hearse which is time-consuming and pocket-driven. Nothing is for nothing, you’ve got to work hard to do it. The hearse will be out there to see in maybe two or three years. It is a 1954 Dodge Kingsway. The shell is keeping it’s integrity but the motor and the rolling chassis and the whole engineering part of it is nothing like the original. It is all being engineered and made roadworthy to be legal for South Australia. I plan to show it, plan to use it for funerals, or if someone wants to use it in their film clip or someone wants to use it in a movie. If someone wants to use it then it is out there for that. Sue: So you are also a musician. People may know you from many years of playing in different bands including Statez, Almost Human, and The Status Quo Show and now you are in Secret Mens Business. Luis: Yes, that’s good fun. it’s is a cover band with a bit of an edge. A good bunch of guys; Alex, Nathan, Kim and Chris. We get together every week and rehearse and have fun. I think we make good music and we are out there ready to play real soon too. Sue: A man of many talents. Luis: I’ve also played in Chocolate Jesus and BB Steal and various other bands. We could go on and on and on but that is the past and we live and learn from those experiences that we all go through. There is good and bad times for all of them but they are what they are and it’s great. Sue: So if anyone wants a drum head or a backdrop airbrushed can they contact you. Luis: Absolutely.
Luis: I think it was about four or five years ago Luis can be contacted atomicstudios@optusnet.com.au Before that I was there for three or four years but only certain brackets in time to help out David and Kit. Sue: You have got some other projects you are working on now? Luis: I’m fixing the house up and doing some 36
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You Can Dance You Can Jive Words and Photos by Louise Miller
ABBA YOU CAN DANCE YOU CAN JIVE SHOW FEATURING FLAMING SAMBUCAS was at the Top of the Arkaba 7th of May. This sold out tribute show was jam-packed with authentic sounds, harmonies and costuming. The Flaming Sambucas took the audience on a journey and performed Abba’s greatest hits, allowing many die hard fans to relive their youth, dance, sing along and dress up. If you are an ABBA fan this is a must see show!
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Jac Dalton @ The Boom Boom Room 30/04/2016 Photos by Sue Hedley
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Whiskey Harbour @ The Boom Boom Room 30/04/2016 Photos by Sue Hedley
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Rockvault Allstars @ The Boom Boom Room 30/04/2016 Photos by Sue Hedley
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GIG REVIEWS BY JAKAM
By Jakam Kourasanis
SISTERS DOLL
The 80’s were a time that you cannot forget if you were there. For those who were not, the closest thing we have is Australia’s own glam rock kings Sisters Doll. Sisters Doll aren’t unknown to Adelaide. Patrons have rocked to the band for the last two years, with most performances being held in the iconic Bridgeway Hotel. This one was no different. There were three other bands playing on the night which all performed great sets and pumped the crowd up for Sisters Doll. Full Dose kicked the night off, with mostly originals and they closed with a hard rocking version of Dio’s 1983 classic Rainbow in the Dark. The Menace (made up of the Gordon brothers and drummer Brad Tsoumbris) were up next and the power trio delivered a high energy set of good old style rock n’ roll. California Cousin were the last band before headliners Sisters Doll, and they had the crowd going to their high energy originals. Sisters Doll went on around 10pm and performed all fan favourites, and put 100% into their hour and a half long set. The crowd knew every lyric, and no one left the front rows for any reason. Sisters Doll are a band, that no matter what genre of music you enjoy, you will find something in Sisters Doll’s music that appeals to you. I’ll be caught Sisters Doll again at Loud Fest 3, June 4th at the Bridgeway Hotel.
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What amazes me about the Zep Boys is after all their lineup changes, people are still going to see them even though the original lineup is no longer there. Frontman Vince Contarino assures me that this is the best lineup he’s played with. The Zep Boys have branched out, now doing Led Zeppelin Masters, which is essentially the Zep Boys and an orchestra. A must see! Check out Zep Boys when you can, even if you’re not a Led Zeppelin fan. You’’ll be blown away. I interviewed Vince, just before these shows, search it up on YouTube.
ZEP BOYS
Zep Boys are an Australian rock n’ roll institution, more so than any other tribute, cover or concept band in the country. Formed and founded by frontman Vince Contarino, Zep Boys have been performing regularly since the mid to late eighties, to diehard and casual Led Zeppelin fans all over the country. Zep Boys recently held two shows at the Gov in Adelaide to highlight their 30 year milestone. The show started with Black Eyed Bruiser by Stevie Wright playing over the PA, and then an acoustic guitar piece. Straight after drummer Brad Polain thunders the instantly recognisable intro to Led Zeppelin’s 1971 hit “Rock n’ Roll”. Following immediately after is “Celebration Day”, a track lifted from Led Zeppelin’s mostly acoustic third album. The band thundered through songs mostly from the first four albums, before going into an acoustic segment which includes “Black Country Woman”, “Bron – Yr – Aur Stomp”, and “The Rain Song”, the latter featuring Warwick Cheatle playing acoustic guitar and keyboards. Just before the acoustic segment the band played “Moby Dick”, which features a thundering drum solo from Brad. The band then proceeded to play electric guitars again, before thundering through “No Quarter”, “Stairway to Heaven” and other classics, mostly from Led Zeppelin’s later albums.
BLACK SABBATH
The ringing of a church bell. The sound of thunder. The first strum of the G note and the first crash of the cymbal. You felt it in your chest. That was how veteran rockers Black Sabbath took stage, during last months gig in Adelaide. Performing all old material from 1969-1978, the band delivered a greatest hits package, live with a few fan favourites. The whole band was in top form, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was as entertaining as ever. A drum solo by Tommy Clufetos, left and crowd stunned and the crowd had a ball, dancing and listening to classics such as War Pigs, Paranoid, N.I.B. For a tour titled The End, one can hope that this is not the end for Black Sabbath but they say it is, so we’ll take their word for it. If it is, they went out with a bang.
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Thirsty Merc @ The Arkaba 15/04/2016 Photos: Sue Hedley
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SOCIAL PAGES
Rex Thompson’s 60th birthday party
Photos by Maxwell Millowick
When Rex Thompson turned 60 he threw a big party at the Highway Inn on April 24th. Entertainment for the night was DD Toc and Rexy’s Allstars Band.
Ron Kosmider and his daughter Nikki Heuskes
Rex with Becky and Ian Blake and family Rex with Betty Samis
Rex with Rexy’s Angels
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Damien Steele-Scott and Zkye
SOCIAL PAGES
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Photos by David Powell
David Powell from MEGAscene was invited on the Bill Shorten bus for a day and got to meet the rockstars of the Australian Labour Party as they met people in the community. The bus visited various places including the Newton Shopping Centre, Castle Plaza and the Thebarton Oval, where a $6.6 million policy to build a grandstand there was announced.
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LIVE SOUND ADVICE
By Frank Lang
Evolution of Sound Systems
In the last article I named some early brands These speakers made impressive stacks. of PA and their role on the scene, and among them some notable Adelaide amp and speaker I was still working for Some Dream, and by now they had a good following and were manufacturers. playing mostly at the Marryatville Hotel and So, why not take a journey through time, and were managed by Ray Dyott, of ‘’Lone Star” I’ll link the era to the brands popular at that fame. He introduced Radio Birdman to the time and some of the Adelaide bands that I Adelaide scene. was lucky enough to mix. These systems were commonly called the My start in the industry was late ’76 and I JBL three ways, and when topped off with a found myself mixing Some Dream, a jazz rock tweeter, the 4 way. band featuring ex Fraternity members, at the Largs Pier Hotel. The PA for the day was an Brian Rosser had a PA company, called Buggs, Overeem. A very early active multi cell horn which later became one of Adelaide’s big and a folded bass bin. This 2 way configuration guns, Concert Sound. The first time his early worked extremely well. I must have done a amps come to mind is with systems at the passable job because I got a permanent job Marryatville Hotel. mixing these guys. Some Dream, had split and Bruce Howe and Yamaha were there in 1976 with active 75 John Freeman joined Mickey Finn, easily one watt, and 100 watt columns. My own system of the hardest rocking bands in Australia. at the time was Yamaha, and consisted of four, 3 way JBL style boxes and they were almost I was mixing their shows at the Bridgeway as large. I got work using these to mix a 7 Hotel, mostly using a double 4 way system. piece funk outfit, Full House, at the Arkaba. They were 2 and a half metres wide by 2 Four of these handled the room just fine, even metres high of grunt, per side, now easily though the RMS figure per box was only 100 handling rooms of 800 people. Interstate bands went for triples and they could get Watts. Now thats what I call efficient. your shirt flapping against your chest. A new speaker device on the scene around ’78 was the double fold bass bin, or folded Sometime the Finns would support Cold Chisel horn, where the speaker pointed backwards and The Angels who were using Lee Conlons but then bounced off the back wall of the box great Revolver brand PA’s. He mostly ran JBL to fire forward. It was in essence a long horn speakers with his own brand of amps and desks and he was soon to follow Chisel and the folded in on itself. Angels Interstate to become a major player Even more impressive was the, triple fold bass nationally. He loved his old JBL 15” speakers box, which had a longer folded horn, with the saying they wore in, not out. speaker facing forwards, bouncing back and then forward again, a longer horn resulting I got to use the Biamp brand desks and 31 in a tighter bass response. These bass bins band Biamp graphic, mixing Mickey Finn were topped with JBL 4560 and 90 degree to 5-800 at the bridgeway. Smooth and accurate. Some years later evolving into the horns and they were here for a long stretch. 4 band Soundcraft mixers and things were on 50
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the up ‘n’ up and getting easier and easier.
Mice, after his stint with the Bodgies.)
Often the main act would pull some of the power in the PA. It was their show so the support act would only get so much power and none of the lighting specials. On these occasions a bottle of the sound guys ‘fave’ tipple was a way of getting the PA not too choked up.
Turbosound hit Adelaide and were making the rounds, and Melbourne company ARX were making inroads with speakers and amps and processors. Earlier known as ART they became ARX in Melbourne’ (I bought an early ART system for my new band Hoy-Hoy!)
The WRM Roy bin, (need help here=was this an Altek design?) was an improvement on the old JBL 4560 design. It provided an improvement to midrange clarity. I was playing with Allan Fryer’s ‘The Heroes’ at the Sundowner in Whyalla and this was a great single 4way.
In ’83 l scored a gig playing bass for The Flyers. Now here’s a real eye opener, and something to consider.
In the days when PA’s were getting bigger, Dave Blight was using a Fender 100 watt valve PA for vocals and harp in the great acoustic of The Tivoli Hotel. We had a long residency Martin, from England supplied the next sonic there and the sound off stage was great. The upgrade with the “Philishave” 9” mid horn. By room was designed way before PA’s but they now I was more into playing in bands and not ruined this acoustic gem from the Vaudeville mixing, but I still held a keen interest in the days when they removed a wall. Even in other evolution of systems. rooms around town the beautiful harmonic qualities of this valve PA meant volume was Brains was a great sound guy, mixing Mickey not a necessity, and the band always sounded Finn, and the Mega Boys (and pulling great good. mixes). Adelaide hire companies were by now using the mid and top Martin boxes with Jands PA’s were ever present when interstate older JBL designed bass bins. INXS were the bands hit town. only band I saw with a full Martin set up, with compact, punchy bass bins. The Martin mid Clair Brothers S3, and S4 boxes made boxes just left the older designs behind with appearances and then, well, to the present vocal articulation and midrange clarity. day and we see flown vertical arrays, bigger and better. And now for something completely different, the Bose 801. I was lucky to score a gig playing And well, the trickle down effect means that bass for The Sensational Bodgies. They had these days in pubs, 1000 watt active systems bought a Bose system but it wasn’t too long with subs are capable of very good sounds. I before interstate management had them am at present mixing ‘Rock The Boss’ with a swap to a more standard JBL system. Don system consisting double 1000 watt Yamaha Morrison tells me the Bose system was still top boxes with one QSC sub a side, and going strong up to 10 years ago in Melbourne. embracing the Mackie DL1608 iPad mixer. Redgum had 4 Bose a side and didn’t need Now that’s evolution for you, very Star Trek. subs, and that system served them well Beam me up Scotty! wherever they played around Aust. The Bodgies system I designed had 2 x Bose 801 per side and a JBL 4560 for subs. Dave bunny was our mixer in The Bodgies and a damn good one at that. In my pro muso year with the Bodgies, 1981, I can remember sounding good on stage 9/10 and if it didn’t sound good then I knew the room was shit. (Dave played drums for the Exploding White
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SA PARANORMAL
Words and Photos by Allen Tiller This month we are travelling to the Copper Coast to the historic mining seaside town of Wallaroo to visit one of my favourite haunts in the area – the Cornucopia Hotel, located at 40 Owen Terrace, right in the heart of the historic town. The hotel, boasting 52 rooms, was built in 1862 and was first licensed by Mr R Hazelgrove. It was the central meeting point in the town, and had a purpose built dance hall Cornucopia Hotel, Wallaroo upstairs. It is the only hotel in Wallaroo to still retain its original opening name, having never been called anything other than “Cornucopia a psychic told me that right above us was a spirit of an old Swedish sailor who had died Hotel”. elsewhere, but returned here as he felt this It was also home, in the early days, like many was home – (this still did not convince me the hotels in that era, as the staging point for place is haunted by a Swedish sailor!). coroner inquests into local deaths. Often this would see the body laid out, with Doctors, On another occasion, my wife experienced Judges and other local dignitaries sitting very strange disembodied footsteps in the around deciding if there was more to a death hallway whilst she was investigating in room 10, at the same time I was sitting on the bed than an accident or natural causes. in room 11 and recorded an EVP that asked I have investigated the hotel on a number of the question “Hello?” – this was only the occasions, both privately and with the public, beginning of weird occurrences in the upstairs and have encountered some very strange area that evening. phenomena within its walls. Whilst in another upstairs rooms with David The upstairs section of the hotel houses and Darren from Ghost Crime Investigators, the guest’s suites and shared shower we all experienced equipment responses to facilities. This seems to be the epicentre of questions. David also heard a disembodied the haunting, particularly in the one wing voice within the room. containing bedrooms 11 through to 13. During a public event in the Cornucopia On one occasion, about the middle of the day, Hotel, Rob from Cityside Paranormal had a I was standing in the junction of the hallways, poltergeist event occur. Rob and his partner which wind and turn through the upper levels. were staying in room 11, he put his clothes In one spot I could smell very distinctly the and gear in the room, and during the tour part smell of the ocean and old tobacco, but take of the event, re-entered his room to find all a step in any direction, and the smell would be his belongings strewn about the place as if completely gone. Now, not being one to jump someone had been recklessly searching for to the “ghost” conclusion in an instant, I put it some mysterious object! down to being so close to the ocean, and the smell of tobacco being embedded in the walls So who haunts the Cornucopia Hotel? It could and carpets, and didn’t think any more of it, be Archibald Samuels, a young man, aged 14, until I went downstairs to the dining room and who lost his life in a water tank that is located 52
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bridles, reigns etc of the horses were perfect, uncharred, no fire or smoke damage. No one knew how the fire started, or how it got put out, all the locks were still intact, and no entry points could be seen – very strange indeed! The Cornucopia Hotel in Wallaroo remains a popular drinking spot within the town, and depending on who you talk too, one of the most haunted pubs on the Copper Coast! Cornucopia Hotel
My thanks to Rick and Will Parson of Flinders Ranges Paranormal Research Group for directly underneath the current beer garden. assistance with research on this historic Archibald had gone to draw water from the location. tank and somehow fell in, only to be found the following day when the hotel couldn’t find him to run an errand. Or, perhaps it might be Mr Crawford, who had a nasty gash upon his leg that went gangrene; he died in a upstairs bedroom. Many of the staff have told me stories of suicides that go unreported in the local media. One involved a young woman hanging herself from the balcony in full sight of the town’s main street – it is said she may be the ghost often heard speaking in room 9, that also likes to roll bars of soap across the room. Another mysterious paranormal event occurred in February 1894 when a fire broke out in the hotel stables (as reported in The Kadina and Wallaroo Times – 3 Feb 1894). Albert Swanski, the horse keeper, locked the stables at 11pm and when he checked the horses at 7.30am, he found the stalls and horses very badly burnt, so badly in fact the vet put them down immediately (they are buried in the hotel grounds). All the leather
Allen Tiller outside of Cornucopia Hotel promoting an event he held there.
Allen Tiller is the Australian star of international hit television show “Haunting: Australia” and author of “The Haunts of Adelaide – History, Mystery and the Paranormal” as well as being a historian, lecturer, poet, musician, Tour Guide, blogger and podcaster. Allen is also a White Ribbon Ambassador and volunteer for many different associations and groups. You can find Allen online at: www.twitter.com/Allen_Tiller www.facebook.com/AllenHauntingAustralia
https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide
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Venues
The Rhino Room Words and Photos by Brian Cain I was brought up in the era of Monty Python, Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore, the Two Ronnie’s, Benny Hill, Paul Hogan and TV talent such as Dads Army, Faulty Towers, Some Mothers Do Have Em’, Keeping Up Appearances. As time goes by, quite a list already. No wonder I love comedy, the last bastion of resistance to political correctness, an environment where mirth flourishes and no one is safe from a tongue lashing all in aid of a good laugh. I can’t remember when I didn’t follow a comical approach to life, having a laugh was so important it became second nature, perhaps it should be first. Amid political correctness, claims of racism, words
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that hurt, it is refreshing to attend a function where being offended is something to laugh about. Stand up is the last bastion of foul language, inherent blaspheme, political intolerance, cross gender disapproval and the ridiculous tag of racism. In today’s world reading the last sentence would have you believe it should immediately be shut down by some kind of government ruling rushed through parliament and turned into law; the day that happens will indeed be a sad day. Fortunately by the rise of the Roman Empire, the Napoleonic wars, the First and Second World Wars, we still have free speech in Australia. It was Peter Cooke in the late 50’s
that first via means of mirth took the piss out of the governing bodies of the ruling classes, something that is now second nature but back then is was a refreshing attack at governing intolerance and commercial bastardry that still prevails today. The Rhino Room comedy venue is run by top south Australian stand up comic Michael Bowley, a self made man of complete focus within the world of stand up. I attend the Rhino room for more reasons than having a laugh and admit to contributing to a parallel industry not much dissimilar to the live music industry. Listening to and telling jokes has been part of life, for Michael Bowley and his friends, it is their life. One thing you notice about the Rhino Room is that stand up comics are very close to each other. They have disasters just like bands but there is always someone there to catch them if they fall. Things will go wrong. My camera died half way through the show and I had to use my phone, the performers were all over the place and catching up with them was difficult, things appeared chaotic at times, but from organised chaos comes entertainment. The Rhino Room One Mic Stand on Thursday nights is a pay at the door operation, and there is value in what is happening there. You can see twelve different comics do five minutes each, three sets of four with breaks of ten minutes or so in between, if you are a live band musician sounds a bit familiar already. You register at the door when entering for a spot, they then pick twelve acts from the eager participants, it’s very popular and as at a band open mic session not all can perform. Some contributors are first timers, in fact Michael Bowley started at the Rhino room as did the nights host Kel Belmont. For the vast majority of us performing stand up would be terrifying, something that infuses that much fear it would not be perceived as a pleasant experience, but as a musician the hurdle is the same. You can talk to the mirror or play your instrument in the corner of the room and do it well, but a stage lights and action is the hurdle many never attempt. Out there are thousands of Jimmy Hendrix’s and Kitty Flannigan’s but human nature and the fear of what others think of us clouds.
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judgement. How do you overcome such things? I have been there myself. To suggest a clue ‘what others think is none of my business’, now I can get on with things as the burden of negative opinion has been lifted from my shoulders. If you can repeat that advice then get down to the Rhino One Mic Stand and get on with it. At One Mic Stand it became relevant as I spoke with performers that if you have performed in front of people, be it musically, theatrically or commercially, it helped. Nina, a pleasant and attractive blonde woman performing for the first time, was fluent, convincing and most of all funny. She was from a drama stage theatrical background and said that helped. She was concerned before performing then once on stage focus overcame all. I asked if she watched the faces of the crowd, whom are very close at the Rhino Room, and she stated she listened to response more than anything to gauge what was happening. This was a common comment from all I spoke with
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and makes sense as you are trying to make and worked on from there. people laugh and if they laugh you have Brian: Why? succeeded. Kel Balnaves the night’s master of ceremonies started at the Rhino room ten years ago. He attended the Rhino room comedy structure as he loved stand up and the people involved. He got drunk one night and stepped up overcoming the first appearance apprehension. He was hooked and it became a labour of love for as in live music you must be ready for a lot of disappointments. Kel draws energy from visual and vocal response while performing. I’m sure live musicians can understand that. Kel is now busy touring the country performing stand up with parallel pressures and problems encountered within the live band industry.
Michael: From around twelve years old I always knew I would get into stand up, was what I wanted to do, never dropped the focus. Brian: You have become successful for your hard work. Has the experience been personally rewarding? Michael: Absolutely, I have become what I worked for. Nothing is more rewarding to me than the success I have now. Brian: How it the current state of the stand up industry in comparison to when you first started?
Michael: Things change all the time, the delivery is the same, one of the easiest things you can do, you just need a mic and yourself. The political stance has changed somewhat, material that comics did twenty years ago would struggle for acceptance these days, there is always someone waiting to be offended, more so as time goes on. It changes the concept and material, but that’s how we get new stuff, no one wants to see I have seen some of the other performers recycled stand up. before and some that were in the crowd, so much to say and so little time to cover them Brian: Where do you see yourself going from here? all, plus we were all busy having a laugh. For most performers I don’t know from where they came or why they did it, especially some other first timers of the night, but I really appreciated the fact I had a laugh with them. It was obvious others were seasoned performers, such as Duncan Turner, who I didn’t get any time to talk with but have seen him host the One Mic Stand. Experience is an obvious perception.
However Michael Bowley did give me some Michael: Radio. I am moving into radio and time after the show. Here is what he had to currently do a radio show. Radio and TV are where successful stand ups end up. say. Brian: When did you first get into stand up? Michael: It was right here at the Rhino Room, about twelve years ago. I did the open mic
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Michael Bowley
Brian: The Rhino Room open mic is very popular. Has that always been the case? Michael: Yes the venue has always been popular as far back as I can remember, but drops off a bit when I lose focus due to other commitments. You would appreciate that live bands are just as much hard work as stand up. It’s down to hard work, if I don’t put the work in here it shows. Brian: If there was one thing you would like to see happen in the world of stand up what would that be?
Michael: That stand up comedians could earn a living by doing their stuff, rather than having to enter the radio and TV industry full time.
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Brian: I have been involved in the parallel entertainment industry of live bands for over forty years, I used stand up comedians to support my bands in the 80’s and 90’s. One was an Adelaide comedian that was a dead ringer for Frank Spencer, I can’t remember his name but he was great. It was a concept that worked well. I see a similar experience of being involved in stand up and live music. Is there anything you would like to ask me to further investigate this observation while we have the opportunity? punters could go to the one show and see both, fortunately I was right. Some just band Michael: I think you’re right, anything you say shows were not as successful as we would like about the live music industry I’m sure I would them to have been, but double billing with a understand, and your comment about them comedian was always successful. Even the being parallel in their process is interesting. band could go into the crowd between sets, How successful were the shows that included relax and have a laugh. Everyone was happy. It a stand up comic? wasn’t a support act but a parallel presentation of live music and stand up between brackets, Brian: They were not only musically sort of a master of ceremonies, and gives the entertaining and a great laugh but good value band a chance to really get on with it when for money. I would often go to an old venue in performing as well. Adelaide called the Flying Trapeze, which was in Victoria Square. Spoke to many of the stand Michael: That’s interesting. Some friends in up comedians of the time and I bumped into bands have often mentioned the same idea. a lot of people who had been at our shows. They were there for the same reason as I, to Brian: Michael Bowley thanks for allowing us see comedians. I thought it would be great if to come into your world and for your time, I have thoroughly enjoyed it, I’m pretty sure that we will meet again soon.
The Rhino Room stage
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DON’T DIE WITH THE MUSIC STILL IN YOU
By Brian Cain
Musicians especially pop, rock and blues are how happy you are with your achievements. some the most exploited people on the planet. Having your craft pay its way is a common goal, these days it’s an achievement, but it The pubs are full of pop wannabe’s that never still prevails as a lesser ambition. Those within made it and of course they can’t as only so the art of promotion would disagree as their many artists, good or bad can be marketed, a art is success beyond the burning ambition of disillusion within a capitalistic economy, rather a magical band, a drug far greater than any like the lottery or a V8 supercar race, we have natural or artificial recreation manufactured only one winner from so many whom were so by humans. Only the naturally gifted and close, especially in Australia with such a small tenaciously focused will ever experience such an experience as having the music leave you population. in harmony with others of the same genre. Failed pop artists unless they can change are the most venerable as they are exploitable If not for money and exploitation, Elvis Presley only whilst they are young, and the music would still be alive in some blues bar scraping appeals generally to the young. A twenty five a living from his craft, he died on the floor of year old pop performer is considered ancient. his bathroom, his body and mind no longer I knew many when I was younger, now most able to cope with fame and fortune inflicted of them are dead or wasting away with little by capitalistic intervention and his fate in the interest in life and wondering what happened. hands of us controlling influence. To some degree this can be considered to be us, in fact Hard work outside of their world is rare. if music was not exploited for money there Rock performers always seem to prevail; the would still be blues bars. Chuck Berry was a guitar man always finds another place to play. master of avoiding the destructive influence I have long time friends whom have rolled with of money and exploitation, he demanded the punches and still work as hard at it as cash payment prior to performing; he trusted they did decades ago; they seem to be happy no one with his dexterity, This weekend he and not afraid of a bit of hard work outside of will play somewhere we don’t know. It’s not the realms of music. They finally become the important to him that we don’t know, as long person they wanted to be, an important niche as he finds another place to play and some inspiring people to play with. It’s in him and only age can decipher. it’s got to come out. The prevalence is in the blues. It takes many years to master blues skills and mix them with rock and soul influence. Many of these people, even if only local heroes, will prevail beyond all. I have seldom seen a young master blues harp player or guitarist the likes of Chris Finnen or Phil Manning. Even the most respected and affluent work outside of their musical goals alongside their craft or they would not survive. I agree, don’t die with the music still in you. People with musical goals seldom state the major influence as money. It’s just a coloured slip of paper that yields survival, the rest is 58
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Daytura @ The Boom Boom Room 28/05/2016 Photos by Sue Hedley
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MARKETS
by Carina Bonney
Bowerbird Market
Here are some of the markets on in Adelaide.
When: Twice a year Next: 25th - 27th November 2016 Entry: $5/Children free Time: Fri 4pm – 9pm, Sat + Sun 10am – 5pm About: Adelaide design market. Talented designer makers from SA and around Australia http://bowerbirdbazaar.com.au
Adelaide Central Market When: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9am - 5pm Location: Grote Street, Adelaide Shop at the Market with free parking after 3pm & before 6pm every Tuesday & Thursday during Spring! About: A huge range of fresh food, all under one roof - fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, gourmet cheeses, bakery products, sweets, nuts and health foods. www.adelaidecentralmarket.com.au/
Adelaide Market
Showground
Farmers
Fisherman’s Wharf Market When: Every Sunday from 9am - 5pm and Monday Public Holidays Location: Lighthouse Square, Port Adelaide www.fishermenswharfmarkets.com.au
Gawler Lions Station Market When: Every Sunday 8am - 12pm Location: Gawler Railway Station About: Arts and crafts, fresh local produce, bric-a-brac, tools and more.
Gepps Cross Treasure Market When: Every Sunday 9am -1pm Location: Adelaide Showground Leader Street Farmers markets are the best place to find When: Sundays 7am - 1pm healthy food direct from the source. You Location: Mainline Drive In @ 588 Main North will be supporting local industry, growers Road, Gepps Cross and farmers as well as getting the freshest produce. Gilles Street Market Blackwood Craft Market
When: 1st Sunday of the month 10am - 4pm except January Location: Memorial Hall Cormandel Parade, Blackwood Entrey: Free About: hand made crafts, cakes, plants, clothing, baby wear, bags, food, jewellery, cards, books, food, fruit and vegetables
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When: From June to September over autumn/ winter the market is held on the 3rd Sunday of the month. October to May the market is open on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month From 10am to 4pm Location: Gilles Street Primary School 91 Gilles Street, Adelaide 10am – 4pm About: a focused Fashion & Accessories market only
Glenelg Markets When: Every Saturday & Sunday 9am - 4pm Location: Moseley Square, Glenelg
Market Shed on Holland
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When: Sunday, 9am - 3pm every week Where: 1 Holland Street, Adelaide (behind the Gilbert St IGA) Phone 0411 201 760 Contact: marilyn@themarketshed.com.au About: One big bustling shed is filled to the brim with local food producers selling their wares. The market focuses strongly on organically and locally produced food. Round She Goes Market
Semaphore Community Market When: 1st Sunday of the month from 9am - 2pm Location: St Bedes Anglican Church 200 Military Rd, Semaphore
Gilles Street Market
Stirling Laneways and Market Organic and Sustainable Market When: 4th Sunday of the month from September to April Next: Sunday, September 25, 2016 From 10-4pm Location: in the laneways off the main street (Mt Barker Road) and Centenary Place
Wild At Hart Fresh Food Market, Port Adelaide When Open Sundays 9am - 2pm Where: The Harts Mill precinct About: A famers market with fresh food and produce http://www.wildathart.com.au
Round She Goes Market Adelaide Held in Adelaide 3 times a year When: check dates on website http://roundshegoes.com.au/whenwhere/ adelaide-dates/ Next market: Saturday 30th July 2016 Then 19th November Location: Woodville Town Hall 74 Woodville Road, Woodville Entry: $2, 10am-3pm About: Pre-loved Designer & vintage clothing, and handmade jewellery. Also in Melbourne and Sydney. http://roundshegoes.com.au
Wild At Hart Market
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Wishbone Day
Photos by Sue Hedley
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Adelaide Goes Yellow to Raise Awareness about Brittle Bones
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Friday 6 May was Wishbone Day and people walked to raise awareness about Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), otherwise known as brittle bones. Participants wore yellow as the colour represents a sense of happiness and positivity. A walk commenced from Three Rivers Fountain in Victoria Square at 6:30pm and proceeded all the way to the River Torrens Footbridge to raise awareness. The Adelaide Town Hall Wishbone Day as positive and life affirming. balcony, the River Torrens Footbridge and the Adelaide Oval were all it up yellow in support. “Many people with OI maintain such a positive outlook on life despite suffering from multiple Wishbone Day is an international awareness bone fractures in their lifetime,” she said. day to celebrate the great achievements of people with OI as well as raising awareness “Greatly improved treatment and increased about the condition. Each year on May 6th is awareness will help to create a brighter future “Wishbone day”, an international awareness for the upcoming OI generation,” Ms Meyer said. day. Avril Meyer, SA state Representative for the More information about can be found at OI society of Australia described the theme of http://www.wishboneday.com and http:///www.oiaustralia.org.au
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MARIA’S COLUMN
by Maria Szczerba
SPIRIT OF ANZAC CENTENARY EXPERIENCE I did not know what to expect as I walked through the doors of the Anzac Day Centenary at Wayville Showgrounds. Those attending this Anzac Day Centenary were greeted by Officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and ushered to seats where we viewed a short video of Anzac Day.
Then I got to the next display, “The men they called The Anzacs”. As I read this, it made me reflect deeply, emotionally charged, what does Anzac Day mean to people? Who were these men that fought so gallantly for all of us to make our country safe and why did so many suffer? What did it mean to those who did not return? To those who suffered losses, injuries and post traumatic stresses to mates who never returned? To those who still serve for our country and are still overseas or serving on our land.
The participants and I went through to the check in point. Tickets were checked, mini speaker audio player/headphones were distributed whilst we listened to a lady army officer. We had all our systems adjusted and were shown how to download information to our devices as we walked around the exhibit. The displays I viewed were everything that my parents told me what they and others had The first area I walked through was very endured. interesting. The Spirit of the Anzacs Centenary Experience was truly alive and worth seeing. The originals were the Australians and New Zealanders, these war personnel were also I saw an army bike that was ridden through volunteers who served to help and give their the war years; this was really nice to see as time to serve in the war. There were also both my dad and mum both rode bikes. There those men who stood their ground, men who was an old kettle with tins of apricot and milk were part of the Gallipoli, Vietnam and Villersand other supplies that people used in war. Bretonneux campaign. They were men serving and well trained for any type of combat they There were war time period costumes were engaged in. including what ladies wore in both World War I and II. Followed by a navy photo of boxes As I got to the next stage, there was a display used for transportation and storage of items of an army officer with a machine gun and of those who had travelled or had to flee their bullets attached and part of a dug out used to own homeland away from the perils of war. fight the enemy. One can only wonder, even think what this was like, with their rucksacks Rear Admiral Sir George Patey was the first full of supplies to being in a mud filled trench commander of the Australian Fleet. He was to the sounds and fire of guns through to the the Admiral of the HMAS Australia in which he isolation away from their loved ones. served. He sent in a flag of truce to Samoa and summoned the Governor to surrender to The perils and the sounds right through this a superior force, which they then did. Also display were so real. With the injuries of war, while in New Guinea doing his duty he had come those who are there to help those in the recollection that the German East Asia war. The ladies of war, the Red Cross ladies. Squadron had fled. These ladies helping out those who were 66
traumatised, those injured, and those who just needed a comforting word just to get through the war.
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Without these Red Cross ladies and support to the war doctors in triage, many war soldiers would have suffered, and not looked after with their injuries they got or had, to families notified of losses also. As I got to another few displays, I saw the scene of a soldier sitting on mud and rubble that once was a house. The pain of this soldier sitting with his hands on his face showed heartbreak, pain of the war, pain that was evident of war and those who served. One cannot forget the Australian Soldier or the forgotten soldier of war. The war in which Europe was before the first world war 1914, compared to what Europe became after the first world war. So many people suffered and after the war it was heartbreaking to read the suffering and to see so many had to flee their own homeland at the hands of certain countries. These people who fled their own homeland to save themselves and start a safe life, a new life, all made their way all around Australia in order for a better, safe, prosperous life for themselves, their children, their family and friends.
A bike from the war
Anzac Day reminds us all of those who served, of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, family, or friends, and to those who continue to serve, whether it be Army, Navy, or Airforce. No one can imagine the post trauma suffered by so many of our wartime soldiers. For the “Spirit of The Anzacs” lives on.
Supplies of war
‘LEST WE FORGET’ Find out more about the Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience at http://www.spiritofanzac.gov.au
Maria Soldier in a trench
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Photos by Maria Szczerba
Soldier of war
Red Cross lady Ladies in the war
Soldier in rubble
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Rear Admiral Sir George Patey
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