www.awnw.com.au
Issue #250 – Wednesday, 17 September, 2014
Albury Wodonga’s largest circulating newspaper
Time to stop booting business Business owners are doing it tough enough without an increased food inspection fee from Albury council, says local business owner David McNamara. FOR THE FULL STORY TURN TO PAGE 3
Hear their voices By ERIN SOMERVILLE
Local band Midnight Alibi's James Oswald, Jake Collins, Jamie Stacey, and Dan Klappert agree the Border's music scene is thriving, but it still Picture: ADAM WILSON remains behind closed doors. 127455 “Council has a number of community facilities and venues available for live music. “The Albury Entertainment Centre is the region’s premier live music and performance venue and is available for community and commercial use. “It seats 800 people and is a fullyequipped and purpose-built entertainment venue.� In addition to that, Ms Squire says council is also developing plans for its new Retro Youth Cafe, which will include a live performance space for young and emerging musicians in the region. It’s expected that when the venue
most regional Australian bands, it is a pursuit of passion, rather than money. Many bands say the only way they can fund their out-of-town ventures is through pushing their merchandise sales. They would like more support from the government and media to promote their original work, and often feel under-appreciated. AlburyCity Director of Economic Development and Tourism Tracey Squire says the city provides plenty of opportunities and avenues for musicians to perform. “We reject any claims that we don’t provide enough support for local performers or musicians,� she said.
re-opens, programming will include the popular Friday night gigs, which give the region’s young musicians a chance to perform live. “However, we also encourage local bands and musicians to partner with any of the city’s numerous private and commercial enterprises. Many of Albury’s pubs and clubs are perfectly equipped for live music and are willing to support local bands or performers,�she said. Albury’s Albion Hotel regularly holds live music events, such as open mic nights on Wednesday and Blues Sundays, but its supervisor Michael Beattie agrees more room could be
made in the area for local bands. “There probably is not enough live music venues,� he agreed. “People should get behind and support local musos.� Mr Beattie acknowledged that while electronic music continued to dominate many local venues, local bands needed to create a big push to secure their place back in the limelight. “Live music doesn’t have the same pull as it used to, the way music has travelled is more into an electronic field,� he said. “Getting the word out there is very important, and musicians need to take on that responsibility as well.�
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THE Border’s music scene is not being given a proper chance to be heard, say local artists. The comments come after NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher stated earlier this month that the live music industry was dead thanks to the closure of music venues. Local artists say the music scene is well and truly flourishing behind closed garage doors on the Border, but finding avenues to perform live can be tricky. Many local acts find it necessary to travel out of the region and to major cities to showcase their hard work. A heavy emphasis on DJs and pop music culture through programs such as The Voice and X Factor has also been detrimental to up-and-coming musicians, with audiences constantly demanding more than a stripped-down, talented performance, Border artists said. Albury band Midnight Alibi’s singer James Oswald is one of many musicians who spoke to the Albury Wodonga News Weekly, and is eager to see more support for live music. “The music scene here is better than what people think,� he said. “In the last five years there have been that many people starting bands and playing. “There is a lot of need to have a platform to showcase the work.� With many venues preferring to hire cover bands or DJs, some local artists say they feel pushed out of the scene on the Border. “We have both a vibrant music scene with lots of local talent but it is being squandered by the lack of a dedicated live music venue who regularly have bands on,� local musician and sound engineer Jake Mannik said. Local bands say they face further obstacles when they do secure some local stages, having to fork out for a sound engineer and security if none are already provided at the venue. For
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