songs take on whole a new life of their own when Nick is producing.
“Nick’s someone I first met about 10 years ago and we first collaborated way back then,” Charles continues further. “He’s an electronic DJ who rolls the world doing lots of those big electronic dance parties that I’d be way too scared to go to.
CHARLES JENKINS & THE ZHIVAGOS CHARLES JENKINS & THE ZHIVAGOS By Robert Dunstan Melbourne-based band Charles Jenkins & The Zhivagos (Charles alongside You Am I’s Davey Lane, drummer Art Star and bass player David Andrew Milne) will have a new album, The Last Polaroid, when they hit Foreshore Reserve as part of Semaphore Music Festival on Saturday 30 September. Adelaide-raised Charles, who played in local band Mad Turks before moving to Melbourne and forming the ARIAnominated Icecream Hands and whose 2014 solo release, Too Much Water In The Boat, scored the AGE/Music Victoria award for Best Folk/Roots Album, is no stranger to the community-minded festival and is looking forward to making a return. “Isn’t it great,” he says of being involved in the festival once again. “I love it. And I love Semaphore. And it’s funny because it’s a place I never visited when I was living in Adelaide. Never went down there at all. Don’t know why but I was perhaps too happy living out in the north eastern suburbs just kicking a football around.
“And what an amazing line-up it is this year,” Charles adds. “William Crighton is an amazing performer.” Charles will once again be serving as the mentor for Semaphore Songs Project for which a bunch of local songwriters, including Alana Jagt, Wren Heggart and more, are each penning a song about Semaphore and surrounds.
“Nick, who lives over in Europe now, occasionally dabbles in a Queen cover band – that’s how he knows Davey Lane – as well as playing guitar with The Bloody Beetroots,” Charles says of the Italian electronica act who have just recorded a new album, Pirates, Punks & Politicians that boasts Perry Farrell on vocals and Tommy Lee on drums. Charles, who spends some of his time in Hobart teaching songwriting skills to young students, is looking forward to the weekend’s festivities and to catching up with family and friends.
“That’s an added excitement for me to be involved in that program,” Charles enthuses. “And I’ve now heard all the songs and, without bullshitting, they are all remarkable. Some of them “As mentor are so good I want to steal them for Semaphore for myself. So that’s pretty high Songs Project, praise. “As mentor for Semaphore Songs Project, I am supposed to be ‘helping’ these people write the songs, but my job is easy because I just listen to these great songs and then suggest some very tiny, very minor changes. And we all know that just a little tweak can often turn a very good song into a great one. “So I am looking forward to hearing the songs played live when the writers perform them over the course of the festival,” he adds.
I am supposed to be ‘helping’ these people write the songs, but my job is easy because I just listen to these great songs and then suggest some very tiny, very minor changes.”
“I’ll be coming over a few days before and am looking forward to getting along to Mr V Music and catching up with Vic. I guess I better take some extra money with me for when I go there. “And Art Star [on drums] is especially looking forward to Semaphore Music Festival because he was born in Semaphore – he’s a Port Power supporter – and is looking forward to coming home,” Charles, who is secretly hoping that Richmond Football Club take out the AFL Grand Final while acknowledging that most family and friends are hoping for another Adelaide Crows flag, concludes.
Charles Jenkins & The Zhivagos play Semaphore Music Festival’s Foreshore Reserve on Saturday The Zhivagos will be 30 September at 7pm alongside highlighting songs from The Last Polaroid at Rich Davies & The Low Road (6pm), Semaphore Music Festival. Kelly Menhennett (5pm), Naomi Keyte (4pm), Coconut Kids (3pm), Conchillia “But there’ll be songs from other records,” (2pm) and Little Captain (1pm) with Charles acknowledges. “But I am very pleased tickets via Oztix here: https://tickets. with the new record because I went in a bit of oztix.com.au/?Event=76546 with gates a different direction once I realised how good from high noon. the producer, Nick Thayer, was. Some albums sound like it’s a band just playing some songs but Nick somehow managed to make each The full program for Semaphore song on the album sound like an event. If you Music Festival is here: http://www. want to take a song in a particular direction, semaphoremusicfestival.com/wpNick knows how to take it there. content/uploads/2017/08/SMF_ FLYER_27-7_2.pdf “And if it was a happy-sounding song, Nick made it sound even happier and if it was a sad song, he somehow made it sound even sadder,” he continues. “And when you listen The new Zhivagos’ album, The Last back you forget that they are songs that might Polaroid, is available here: https:// have had hours spent on them to become charlesjenkins.bandcamp.com/ what they are. All the work that goes into the