The Scene - Local Entertainment News

Girl guitar gig

US Jazz guitarist, Sheryl Bailey.

Why are most jazz guitarists male? Can women punch out hot licks and melodic riffs on a six stringed fretboard? Of course they can - and here's an opportunity to see one of the greats of guitar - who also happens to be a woman.

In a very special event, Jazz in the Countryside presents Sheryl Bailey live in concert next Wednesday, May 12, at the weekly jazz night at Mary Gilhooleys in Lismore.

Just Jazz Guitar magazine considers Sheryl Bailey to be among the best modern bop guitar players. She comes to each performance with a fresh approach and something new musically. Bailey is a world class performer and educator and is committed to bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary improvisation.

Sheryl Bailey now lives in New York, teaches at Berklee College in Boston and tours with the US greats of jazz on a regular basis. She is presently touring Australia and Lismore is one of the few fortunate towns to see her weaving her jazz magic live. Her band on the night will feature locals Steve Russell on keys, Greg Lyons on bass and Dave Sanders on drums.

The gig starts at 8.30pm and entry is $9/7.

Grass, grass, glorious grass....

Jurassic 5 is one of the many great acts playing at Splendour.

Calling all festival goers! Splendour in the Grass, Australia's premier mid-winter music event, returns for year four. Nestled in the lovely surrounds of Byron Bay's Belongil Fields, Splendour in the Grass will spill across two music filled days on Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25, making it the perfect weekend musical retreat.

Splendour in the Grass has sold out in advance three years running and, with its limited capacity, is likely to repeat the feat, so it's worth booking a ticket early. Camping positions are also strictly limited so adventurers who wish to experience the event on-site should also get their tickets now.

The event will feature a bumper selection of Australian and international performers who will play on two stages. Some of the artists for Splendour 2004 are PJ Harvey, Xavier Rudd, Jurassic 5, Grinspoon and Pete Murray.

Event and camping tickets are on sale from Friday, May 7, at Soundwaves in Byron Bay, the ABC Centre in Ballina and Lismore. For more information visit the website www.splendourinthegrass.com.

Brave New Beats

The second coming of the Brave New Beats Orchestra will be held next Friday, May 14, at the Tatts Hotel in Lismore.

This all improvised performance will feature some of the North Coast's most progressive artists including Natalie Gay, Barry Hill, Julianne Jessop, Jeremiah Karni, Barb Dwyer and Ben Karsay.

They have called this offering Excursions in Expression. The performance pursues those blissful musical moments that only spontaneity and improvisation provide. It starts at 8pm. Entry is by donation.

Check out Abi's form

Abi Tucker follows the horses...

The Southern Cross University Race Day on Saturday, May 15, is set for a great afternoon of entertainment when Abi Tucker performs songs off her new album, Dreamworld, as part of the SCU's 10th birthday celebrations.

Abi Tucker is a well known Australian actor turned singer/songwriter, whose probably best recognised as Miranda from the hit TV series, The Secret Life of Us. She has been writing music for years including collaborations with such artists as Don Walker and The Poud System. Most recently she has performed with On Inc, Abbi Caldwell and Sydney Green.

Currently, Abi is living on the North Coast and writing music with guitarist Patrick Gundersen.

So, see the horses race. Listen to Abi Tucker sing and celebrate 10 years with SCU.

The SCU Race Day will kick off at 1pm with Abbi's gig at 4.30pm.

Tickets for students and staff are available at Campus Central reception. Guests can grab tickets at the door.

Supergig

Adelaide rockers Superjesus (pictured) will attempt to convert the local area to their brand of rock religion when they play the Lismore Workers Club next Thursday, May 13. The new shaved-down three-piece line up will be playing songs from their new album, Rock Music, as well as some Superjesus favourites. Tickets are likely to sell fast so book early on 6621 7401.

Earth Mother's Day

Sunday, May 9, is Mother's Day and The Channon Market will be hosting celebrations in honour of all mothers - especially the Earth Mother.

The theme for this Earth Mother celebration is "little people" - those perhaps mythical creatures that live in the hills. The market organisers suggest you dress up as a fairy, elf, hobbit, wizard or some other figment of your fantasy and stroll the markets meeting with other rarely-seen magic creatures.

There will be storytelling, belly dancing, lantern making, singing and all sorts of activities and entertainment around the chai tent from 11am. Tea and coffee is free for mums and carers. The grand parade will commence at 2pm and is a great opportunity to show off that magical fancy dress.

The day features a special performance by Young Drums.

Earth Mother Celebrations supports the charity of the day, the Dunnoon Fire Brigade, so give generously while you're there and have a magical experience.

Need some artistic space?

There is a new exhibition space available for rent to emerging artists. Welcome to the Kolinda Art Space. This room, housed within the Kolinda Gallery in Alstonville, is a first class exhibition site utilising a combination of natural light and state of the art 12 volt trapeze lighting. Exhibitions will be limited to a two week duration. Interested artists should contact Kolinda Gallery on 6628 0297 or email Jane@Kolinda.com.au.

School poetry comp

The Lismore Lantern Parade and the Byron Bay Writers' Festival are working together to extend support to the Starlight Children's Foundation. They have joined forces to run a poetry competition across all regional secondary schools in the Northern Rivers, giving young people the opportunity to express themselves creatively through poetry. The competition will be based on the 2004 Lismore Lantern Parade's artistic theme, Rivers of Light.

Entries will be judged by a panel of three and prizes include a pass to the Byron Bay Writer's Festival 2004, publication in this newspaper, a Starlight Children's Foundation surprise package and much more.

The Starlight Children's Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families throughout Australia. To find out more about this charitable foundation and the poetry competition, visit the website at www.starlight.org.au.

More Bourbon, please

Bourbon Street are back rocking the North Coast with their 2004 Grass Roots Tour.

If you're looking for a great night of rock and roll don't miss Bourbon Street at the Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar, next Friday, May 14.

Dangerous Rhyme

The next Dangerously Poetic monthly reading will be held this Saturday, May 8, at the Bangalow RSL on Station Street from 3pm.

The afternoon will open with some soulful folk-blues fusion in the poetic tradition by Kaz Mereki on voice and guitar and will proceed with two much appreciated local poets, Jean Ringland from Bangalow and Max Ryan from New Brighton.

Jean Ringland was a longtime member of the Mullumbimby Women Poets and a founding member of the Bangalow Writers Group in 1999. Her work has been published in The Bone Woman, the Northern Rivers Writers Centre Anthologies, Yellow Moon and Bus Stop. She was an editor of Bus Stop - a Bangalow Writer's Group anthology launched at the 2003 Byron Writer's Festival.

Max Ryan is the author of the CD White Cow, for which he won a Dolphin Spoken Word Award from the North Coast Entertainment Industry Association. He also won the Byron Writer's Festival Poetry Award in 2003. He will regale the audience with some new poems as well as some old favourites.

Tea and homemade goodies will be available and open readings will follow.

A gold coin donation is appreciated.

Cut Price Carnival of Words

Film director Jane Campion and the First Lady of East Timor, Kirsty Sword Gusmao, will join up with literary luminaries Helen Garner and Tim Winton as part of the line up at this year's Byron Bay Writers' Festival.

For the first time ever, the Writers' Festival is offering early bird day passes and kids' passes at a reduced price. These are available for a limited time only so act now.

The 2004 Byron Bay Writers Festival, July 29 to August 1, will focus on Australian writing and the respect it attracts internationally. It will feature some of our most recognised authors alongside many exciting new and emerging writers.

"The 2004 Festival will look closely at the place of Australia in the world today," festival director, Jill Eddington, said. "The program will look at Australia's changing image and reputation internationally and explore the way in which this is represented by or examined in the written word."

Globalisation, sport, magic, injustice, sex, politics, food, exile, love... there is something for everyone. The program, due for release in June, promises to challenge, entertain, stimulate and inspire.

This is a one-off opportunity to purchase your three-day or kids' pass now. Save money and avoid disappointment. Ninety writers, large comfortable marquees, imaginative formats and original programming make this year's festival serious value for money.

You can purchase three-day passes for $125 ($110 for members) and kids' passes for $15 until June 10. For tickets drop into Jetset in Byron Bay or phone 6685 6262 or 6685 6554.

HSC art wanted

The Casino Art Centre is still looking for HSC artworks produced between 1993 -2003 for a six week exhibition beginning on Monday, May 17. They also hope to put the collection on tour for 12 months visiting smaller towns in NSW.

The centre is also holding a life drawing workshop with Keith Cameron next Sunday, May 16. As places are limited to a maximum of 15, the old principle of first in first served will be applied.

There are three models - a young lady and her baby and an elderly gentleman with a most interesting face.

The centre is always on the lookout for artists to exhibit their works and has studio space available.

For further info phone 6662 7325.

The big men of small music

The Old Spice Boys (pictured) are a comic swing trio who play unusual, minimal instruments with virtuosity, charm and wit.

Big favourites at jazz, folk, blues and comedy festivals throughout Australia, they will be performing at the upcoming Thursdays at the Civic gig in Lismore next Thursday, May 13.

Using just a ukulele, a tea-chest (one-string) bass and a solitary snare drum, the Old Spice Boys stroll fearlesssly through an extraordinary repertoire of their own hilarious songs alongside some unlikely interpretations of tunes by artists from Miles Davis to Ian Dury, Prince and John Coltrane.

The Old Spice Boys are a trio of wonderful musicians dedicated to having fun and making great music at the same time. John Shand from the Sydney Morning Herald wrote, ". . . underpinning the hilarity is expert musicianship. Bell, both a virtuoso and highly imaginative improviser, wrests some glorious sounds from his ukulele."

Azo himself says, "the ukulele is the most unthreatening thing you can make out of wood..."

Following many years as a professional guitarist, Azo Bell formed the Old Spice Boys in 1997 with Billy Milroy and Tim Reeves. Azo has produced probably the world's only solo ukulele instrumental CD, Pagi Pagi, plus four other albums.

People often wonder why an accomplished and innovative guitarist chooses to play the ukulele. His band mates claim, "it's so he can pick on something even smaller".

Dance with the Old Spice Boys at the Civic Hotel on Thursday, May 13, from 8pm. Entry is free, so make the most of it.

Songstress soars

Prowling and powerful - Sangeeta.

Nimbin is in for a treat this weekend when Sangeeta and her band perform at the Nimbin Hotel on Saturday, May 8.

Sangeeta's performances are a complete show, an unfolding journey that keeps you transfixed throughout.

From driving rock to intimate ballads, from vibrant flamenco style to Indian raga-inspired musical invocations, Sangeeeta has a voice with so much power and emotion that she demands your complete attention.    

This voice is backed by the musical prowess of Andrew Darling form Fatter Than Nuzrat on guitar and trumpet, Stu Beaumont from Couchfunk on bass, and Travis Marke from My Big Friend (Melbourne) on drums and electronic samples.

For those hungering for a lush, diverse and mesmerising performance experience, see Sangeeta at Nimbin Hotel from 8pm. Entry is free.

A cut above

Cut Copy seek the light in Byron.

Cut Copy's debut album, Bright Like Neon Love, is out now on Modular Recordings.

This collection of dream and love laden tunes shows an array of influences from punk garage to nouveau disco (surely you know what I mean...).

Singles from this album, Future and Going Nowhere, certainly are going somewhere with good airplay and what looks to be a bright future in the Aussie music scene.

To coincide with the release of the album, Cut Copy are supporting Junior Senior on their current Australian tour.

Catch them at the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay this Saturday, May 8, from 9.30pm. Tickets will be available at the door.

Warm textiles

Touch it, wear it, hang it - some of the pieces by Enid Taylor in the latest Roxy Gallery exhibition Warmth.

A new textile exhibition by local artists Jane Macdonald, Debra Lee and Enid Taylor open this Sunday, May 9, at the Roxy Gallery in Kyogle from 2pm. Combining functionality with creative flourish, Warmth steps beyond the traditional.

Debra Lee and Jane Macdonald construct quilts together under the label of Be Be Bold. Once they conceive a quilt, the fabrics are chosen, cut up and combined using organic cotton wadding. The resulting opulence of the quilts cries out to be touched.

Enid Taylor has been involved with textiles most of her life. Using a combination of natural and chemical dyes, Enid has included in this exhibition works using the Japanese method of resist dyeing on silk, known as Shibori.

Choosing to work with natural fibres, usually wool and silk, and fascinated by the possibilities of felt, Enid produces an earthy, wearable collection of art.

A shared love of textiles as an exciting art form has been the nucleus for this collaborative exhibition. Warmth is on show until June 2. The Roxy Gallery is at 143 Summerland Way, Kyogle.

Country Jim is Willing

Jimmy Willing (pictured) and The Real Gone Hick-Ups are a real country band. For a start, they live in the country. They are not slicked-up, overproduced corporate fodder. The Hick-Ups play antiquated styles like the waltz, the polka, country swing and rockabilly.

With the double bass, a stripped down drum kit, harmonicas and guitars, The Hick-Ups breath life into the sometimes stale face of country music. They are raucous, bawdy and very much live. They are the Sex Pistols of country and have created an act like no other.

Now, they are stepping in front of the cameras under the guidance of award-winning film maker Rohan Langford to make a video clip for their ode to our Prime Minister called Old Howard's Dead & Gone. The song is a reworking of a folk classic, Poor Howard. The political parodic potential is not lost on the band and all other Hick-Ups projects have been put on the back burner to have the number out before the next Federal election.

Jimmy Willing and The Real Gone Hick-Ups play the Gollan Hotel this Friday, May 7, with support from the Box Monsters and Cranky Hank. The gig starts at 8pm and entry is free.

St Patrick's Day - monthly!

There's always something special about that celebration of all things Irish, St Patrick's Day. Is it the cold green beer, the excuse to drink it or the warm Irish hospitality that makes this most Irish of celebrations such a fun event?

Well, we aren't sure but we've always reckoned that once a year is not enough for St Patrick's Day so the people from Mary Gilhooleys in Lismore are giving us the opportunity to fulfill our Irish dreams and experience St Patrick's Day every month! If one Irish day a year is fun then every month has got to be 12 times better.

Welcome to the Northern Rivers Echo's Irish Night. Yes, that's right - St Pat's is being celebrated every first Friday of the month.

This is a concept that has worked extremely well for the last five years at the Shamrock Bar in Coffs Harbour and which proved to be a popular networking and meeting place for business and media workers as well as all those who just love the Irish spirit. Now Lismore will experience an Irish party every month.

There will be Guinness giveaways, $5 pints (of Guinness, Kilkenny and Harp) and free Irish bar snacks. There is, of course, also live Irish music. The first Northern Rivers Echo Irish Night kicks off at Mary Gilhooleys this Friday, May 7, at 5pm. Everyone is welcome.

Dance Week

Have you ever caught yourself having a little dance in your kitchen? Are you itching to try out some new moves but not sure where to start?

Your time has arrived! Street to Studio - Dance Week 2004 is coming to Byron Bay on Saturday, May 15.

Starting near the Byron Bay Community Centre at 10.30am, Dance Week 2004 will feature half a dozen short dance pieces.

These short works are excerpts from longer pieces to be performed at the upcoming independent dance show, Big Feet Little Feet, on June 4 and 5. This show is now in its third very successful year.

After the street dances, at 11.30am, the Community Centre Theatre will host the younger dancers in their Little Feet performances. These youngsters are important for the growth of dance in our area.

Following the performances and after a short lunch break there will be four 20-minute workshops (at beginner level) available free to the general public, starting at 1pm.

These workshops offer the chance for people of all ages to connect with the dancer within, or to just have a go and share the fun with your friends.

For further information phone 6680 3046 or 0428 876 346.

"He kept a shop in London town,
Of fancy clients and good renown.
And what if none of their souls were saved?
They went to their maker impeccably shaved"

NORPA's Artistic Director and CEO Lyndon Terracini is currently performing the title role in the Derby Playhouse's production of Sweeney Todd in Derby, England. Steven Sondheim's classic musical thriller, Sweeney Todd, combines razor sharp wit, ravishing melodies and the worst pies in London to create probably the greatest musical drama of the 20th Century.

Terracini was originally offered the role earlier in the year but declined due to NORPA and QBFM commitments. The role was again offered to Terracini days before opening night when singer Jim Smyllie fell ill and was unable to continue rehearsals. Terracini arrived in Derby with three rehearsal days to spare before the show's opening night on April 24. Terracini has played the role twice in his career - the first time was in the Australian premiere of Sweeney Todd for the State Opera of South Australia.

NORPA presents

The Underpants
Adapted by Steve Martin from the original play by Carl Sternheim
Directed by Neil Armfield
Lismore City Hall, May 18 & 19 at 8pm
Tickets: $33, $27.50, $13 + booking fee. Phone 6621 5600 or visit www.norpa.org.au

"There's a crack team of comic actors at play here... This show zings."

The Sun-Herald

Comic genius Steve Martin has concocted a new and hilarious adaptation of Sternheim's 1910 farce marking his third association with Australia's Company B Belvoir.

The Underpants is the story of a newly married couple who must cope with the madness that results when the wife's underwear falls down at a parade for the king. Louise, played by Lucy Taylor, is sure no one has noticed but within hours the rumours are all over Dusseldorf. Her narrow-minded husband, played by John Batchelor, is a local bureaucrat, and is terrified that his career and social aspirations will be damaged by his wife's display of her 'unmentionables'. He muses: 'Don't underestimate the power of a glimpse of lingerie.'

Into their tiny flat come a nosy upstairs neighbour and a pair of suitors who want to rent a room. The characters expose all that is good and flawed about humanity with outstanding performances and perfect comedy timing from the Company B team. It is fast, physical, visually exciting and wonderfully wordy.

Don't miss one of the funniest shows on the theatre scene.