The Scene - Local Entertainment News

S Sense

I like being with men.

I like the way that nothing much is said but so much shared. I like the economy of expression and the largesse of metaphor. I mean, does "my team couldn't win if they tried" mean "things aren't good with the girlfriend" or what?

"Another beer?" shows a compassionate understanding of my brother's plight. The understanding is not created through deep and meaningfuls, because men don't trust words. We talk about our inner selves only when we're lying.

Men are blamed for the vicious state of the world. Well, just because machetes, spears, rifles and missiles are phallic, it doesn't mean men are to blame. It's just very hard to kill someone with a warm furry cup.

Like, I don't blame women because I can't do my washing in a stick. Understand? No...

All generalisations are wrong.

Men are emotional creatures. We get upset but we tough it out like... real men. Real men don't cry. Real men don't whinge. Real men are frightened. From birth, feelings get shutdown.

Maybe because we can't grow babies, we direct our frustrated creativity outward. We change things, build things, destroy things. We're bad. But we need for you to be proud of us.

We blokes create life through rituals - the circumcision, the job, the shout, the footy game - to realise something that women talk about but don't understand and men recognise but can't talk about.

We cobbers bond through proximity not talk - not serious talk anyway. Information is not knowledge. Love is not a word.

Talk is the sound humans make when they're together. It's the hum of communion - the buzz of connection. Subject matter, for men especially, is largely unimportant.

But really, mate, when you put your arm around me and tell me, no bullshit, that you love me, I feel... I feel my team could win the bloody grand final!

Morph is better

Morph will play trazz at Uni.

Campus Central presents Melbourne's new big thing, Morph, in the Campus Central Auditorium next Thursday, August 19.

Morph plays live dance music that is a blending of trance and jazz - what the band calls 'trazz'. Performing totally live, the band takes a lot of care to make the gig a gob-smacking spectacle with big sound production and trance-inducing lighting. This will be Morph's third tour to the North Coast.

Aaron McDermott, the keyboard player, calls Lismore the band's second home.

"We love it up there, I'm from Lissy. A couple of the other guys have spent considerable time up there also," he said. "All previous gigs have been great with The Backroom probably our fattest gig yet." (The band played The Backroom in Byron last year. Hundreds had to be turned away.)

DJs Launchpad and Gelspun, with their own growing dance credentials, will support Morph with their particular interpretations of trance.

This will be a huge night and the really good news is that it costs not $25 but only $5! Or nothing if you're a Uni student. Can't argue with that. Doors open at 8pm.

The cats scratch the R&B surface

These Bureaucats are looking for a bigger office.

The Bureaucats are four locally based musicians, with musical histories longer that a cat's tail, who have pooled their talents to create a sound that could be called progressive R&B or world blues.

Whatever you call it, influences ranging from reggae to Gypsy swing, from funk to blues, combine to create a special Bureaucats sound that colours the band's interpretation of covers as well as its increasing number of originals.

These originals will soon be on the Bureaucats' first album, but in the meantime, you can catch them this Friday, August 13, at the Bangalow Hotel and at the Australia Tavern in Murwillumbah the following night, Saturday, August 14.

Send Up the Flares - Solid Gold is here

Rock Solid and Gopher Gold prepare to walk like an Egyptian this Friday.

This Friday, August 13, the Solid Gold DJs and the Solid Gold Dance Troupe are jetting into Lismore for one night only at the One Bar & Niteclub at Mary Gilhooleys Pub.

Direct from their desert island hideaway, Rock Solid and Gopher Gold are winging their way to Lismore in their trademark polyester flares and sweat stained leather to present a night of retro-mania.

Solid Gold is a tribute to all things retro. It is an act of worship to the sixties and seventies - to flares and body shirts and all that glitters.

With big fat sound and lighting mixed with incredibly daggy moustaches, dance moves and pick up lines - there is no better place to get yourself a Fluffy Duck and run into Mr Right. Or Miss Completely. The show starts at 9pm. Entry is $10.

Storm boys to show crack choreography

Storm: Seven hairless bodies with classic Y-not fronts.

Aussie storm is the product of that TV show Stripsearch (surely you remember...) and is the latest in a line of all-male revues. These well-loaded lads will show what they're made of at the Lismore Workers Club this Friday, August 13. Tickets are available at the venue.

Freebie: The Echo has four Aussie Storm gift packs to give away, each worth more than $100. They include a calendar, t-shirt, boxer shorts, g-string, hat, mouse pad, fridge magnet and key ring. Wow, on those lonely nights there will always be something to play with...

To go in the draw to win phone 6622 2888 between 10 & 10.15am next Monday, August 16, and tell us what you would do with Aussie Storm if you had them for an hour.

Eco Art in Lismore

Detail of Kris Estreich's exhibition, Metaphorical Ecosystem, at the Lismore Regional Gallery.

Local sculptor and multi-media artist, Kris Estreich, describes her current exhibition at the Lismore Regional Gallery as "sculpture with a conscience".

Estreich's Metaphorical Ecosystem is a comment on humanity's place in the world. The artist says her exhibition is a "metaphor recognising the importance of the earth, animals and plants for our very survival".

Re-using commercial stuff like toys, plastics and electronics, Estreich has created a multi-media environmental sculpture that is now on show in the gallery's OuterSpace display window. It will be on display until August 28.

Bomba way!

Look out for incoming Bomba.

Having captivated sold out audiences nationally in 2003 as the main support for The John Butler Trio tour, funk-reggae outfit Bomba are again stocking up on plectrums and drumsticks and setting off on an Australian national tour - a tour that leads to the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay next Friday, August 20.

Bomba's extensive touring of Australia has consolidated the band's reputation as an essential ingredient to any outdoor festival.

Bomba will also be slipping off for a quick jaunt to Singapore to headline the inaugural Rastafari Reggae Splash Festival.

Led by the irrepressible multi-instrumentalist Nicky Bomba, Bomba is a vibrant seven-piece renowned for their energetic and passionate performances.

So if you're up for sampling some of the most intense dance grooves, rich harmonies, powerful horns and soulful original material all sweetly wrapped in a dynamic stage show, Bomba is for you.

Rainbow Songs

Doug and Biskit make merry musically at the Rainbow Cafe in Nimbin.

Local global award winners, Doug and Biskit, will be performing at the Rainbow Café in Nimbin this Saturday, August 14, from 1pm.

Both are seasoned (not pickled) performers and are my favourite Nimbin duo.

Doug is the holder of the 2004 Global Marijuana Music Best Live Performance Award with his song Tetra. Biskit recently won the 2004 Nimbin Performance Poetry World Cup held at Nimbin. Nimbin likes very long award names.

Catch the winning duo at the Rainbow Café this Saturday.

Lights Up at Woodlawn

The drama unfolds with (clockwise from left) Katie Elliot, Sam Wilson, Layla Guiet and Kate McDowell

It's Lights Up variety night at one of our local schools, St John's College Woodlawn, next Thursady, August 19.

This annual event showcases the talents of Year 12 students in the Arts, Drama and Music departments.

The art action takes place in the main hall from 6pm. This allows time to check out the visual artworks and videos from the drama students. The music and drama performances start at 7pm. Lights Up has become a vital part of the school and performance year - an event where parents, the public and other students can appreciate the creativity of this school and compare it to the abundant creative forces of the whole Northern Rivers.

Woodlawn's recent production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying demonstrates the vitality of the artistic inclinations of the Woodlawn students.

Cost is $5 or $10 per family.

Shades of laughter

Austen Tayshus, he of Australiana fame, will be appearing (and hopefully talking) at the Lismore Workers Club next Friday, August 20.

Hear comedy with a twist of lemon. See a man wear sunglasses at night. Entry is $19.

NORPA presents

SPRUNG!
A Monkey Baa Production in association with Glen Street Theatre
Star Court Theatre, Lismore
Tuesday, September 7, 7pm
Wednesday, September 8, 10am & 1pm

Tickets $22.20, $17.20, $12.20 or family $56.80 including booking fees
Phone 6621 5600 or visit www.norpa.org.au

Sydney based performing arts company, Monkey Baa Productions, have brought to life some gems in the past including the popular family productions of The Fairy's Wings, The Bugalugs Bum Thief and Worry Warts. Their latest offering, SPRUNG!, is based on the best selling novel by children's author Andrew Daddo and is generating plenty of excitement with young audiences and families as it plays 40 venues around the country.

"There will be clowning, dancing, performing animals, sound and lighting effects, egg splatting, a touch of magic and a truckload of mischief," says director Kim Hardwick.

It seems that Fergus and mischief go together like chips and sauce, exacerbating Fergus' big problem; how to get his hands on the most desirable bike in the world, The Trail Hunter. His parent's advice of 'earn it' doesn't sound appealing to Fergus and staying out of trouble for one week seems impossible.

Sprung! is the tale of Fergus Kipper's journey, his discovery of boundaries and responsibilities, and the way in which his loving parents eccentrically go about teaching him. It's also about the joy of being a kid.

This production is entertaining theatre the whole family can enjoy. SPRUNG! will play one evening and two matinees at the Star Court Theatre in Lismore with a discounted family ticket available. An Auslan interpreter will be at the 1pm matinee to assist the hearing impaired. Visit the NORPA website for more information or phone the Northern Rivers Ticket Centre on 6621 5600.

Dog in position? Check!
Brick in Position? Check!
Helmet in position? Check!
Dog in helmet? Check!
All systems go!
Houston, begin Launch!

I should never have done it. No... I should have. I just should never have been caught. The egg was on target. Smack. Right in the middle of Mr Humpy's chest.

"Who threw the egg," Dad asked.
He was giving me every chance to lie and every chance to tell the truth. The real question was, which will get me into more trouble?
I, Fergus Arnold Kipper, have been SPRUNG!

Cold Floor Tour

This Sunday, August 15, the Great Northern Hotel in Byron is host to the Cold Floor Tour featuring Donna Simpson (from The Waifs), Ben Weaver from Minneapolis and Jez from Byron Bay.

Collectively, Donna Simpson, Ben Weaver and Jez have performed and toured internationally with some of the world's greatest performers, drawing critical acclaim for their songwriting and performance abilities.

Donna Simpson is best known as one third of that great Aussie success story, The Waifs. She has been writing and performing solo in underground venues around the world for years. With The Waifs, she has performed at every major folk festival in North America and England.

Touring for the first time on Australian shores is American roots artist, Ben Weaver. Hailed as a hillbilly Leonard Cohen, his album, Hollering at a Woodpecker, was listed as Mojo magazine's number three Americana album of the year.

The tour's third performer, Jez, is a local boy who has been building a huge reputation touring nationally with The John Butler Trio, Midnight Oil, The Waifs, The Cruel Sea and The Beautiful Girls. Grab tickets from the venue.

Herb Festival music

From sexy salsa to sultry jazz and A Cappella with attitude - Lismore is hosting two days of varied song and dance as part of the Northern Rivers Greenridge Herb Festival on the weekend of August 21 and 22. The festival will again be held at Lismore's Riverside Park (next to the Ballina Street bridge) as it was last year when the new park provided a comfortable and spacious venue for the festival.

This year's line-up includes one of Australia's most sought after jazz vocalists, Leigh Carriage, who enjoyed rave reviews at the Monterey Jazz Festival in the US.

Still with jazz, Sydney-born singer-songwriter, Jim 'Guitar Man' Kelly will team up with Natalie 'The Voice' Gay to perform some of their favourite jazz numbers.

Other feature performers of this year's Herb Festival include Sassy Salsa, Gregarious Chance and local dancers, Contact Earth, who combine contemporary dance with elements of African music.

There will be the big percussion group, Young Drums, the vocally brilliant Isabella A Capella, dance band Funkstasy and the Northern Rivers Conservatorium Big Band.

"This year's festival offers a full weekend of dance and music for all ages, as well as fabulous food and fun things to do," said Herb Festival coordinator Jenny de Greenlaw.

For a full program, including the entertainment schedule, visit the website at www.herbfestival.org or phone 1300 369 795.

Have a Mad Thyme

The Mad Thyme Skate Park Arvo, held as part of the Herb Festival on Saturday, August 21, has become very popular within the hip hop scene. It all centres around the skate park (near Riverside Park) where Herb Festival punters can watch the Hip Hop Dance Off with many dance groups participating.

Then there is the Dance Circle where the audience can show off their cool moves.

People can also learn and practice some fancy break moves with Ryan Dillon and his crew from Brisbane.

There will be DJs, skaters and an open mike where audience rappers can bust a few rhymes.

For more info phone 6622 3279.

Roots poet comes home... for an improvised moment

Thom the World Poet was the legendary originator of the Melbourne Street Poetry movement in the 80s. At one stage, as Thom the Street Poet, he piloted seven different open performance poetry cafés per week and every day handed out thousands of free poems in the Bourke Street Mall.

Thom is famous for his 'psychic hoover' improvisation style capturing images from the minds of his audience and replaying them as spontaneous poetry. I saw Thom do this amazing performance trick many years ago at a Live Poets! gig at the old Lismore Club (bless its heart).

Thom left Australia in 1990 to work with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and the GONG eurotribe, touring widely in the UK, USA and Europe. After that he moved to the USA to live.

Born in Brisbane, Thom now lives in Austin, Texas, and is back on home turf for three weeks only.

Find out what spontaneous poetry was like before rap made it commercial with one of the world's best performance poets this Saturday, August 14, at the Bangalow RSL Hall from 3pm. Entry is $4.

Thom will also perform this Sunday, August 15, at the Santos Heart Space in Mullumbimby. The show starts at 6pm and costs $5.

Alternatively, catch this world poet at Lismore's Live Poets! next Wednesday, August 18, at the Rous Hotel from 8.30pm. Entry is $6/4.

J Freebie: The Echo has two passes to giveaway to the Live Poets! gig. To go in the draw to win phone 6622 2888 between 10.30 & 10.45am on Monday, August 16, and tell us who has been the MC and master poet of the Live Poets! over the past decade.

Native Ryme at the Uni

Last week I wrote about Native Ryme Syndicate's underage gig at the Lismore Rowing Club this Friday, August 13. A great gig for the younger people from a great rappin' outfit. This drug and alcohol free gig is fully supervised, features lots of local DJs, is hosted by MC Thunda Cat and costs only $10. Food will be provided by The Channon Youth Group and tickets are available from Music Bizarre in Lismore.

But the late news has come in - Native Ryme Syndicate will be stylin' and breaking it down at the Uni Bar at SCU on the same night (Friday, August 13). Local act, Swanky Dee, will start off the night, which should be hip hop heaven on a stick when Native Ryme Syndicate start their breakdown around 10.30pm.

Formed in Brisbane in 1994, Native Ryme Syndicate recently recorded and released a track with Australian rock legends, The Cruel Sea, called Together. This release gained the group critical acclaim. The lads also toured Australia with The Cruel Sea on their latest national tour.

The Uni Bar gig costs $5 for students and $10 for others. Doors open at 7.30pm. For more info phone 6620 3044.

Jazzin' it up

The newly formed Lismore Jazz Club will present Jazz at Twilight on Sunday, August 22, at the Lismore RSL Club from 4pm. This is the second fundraiser for next year's 60th Annual Australian Jazz Convention to be held for the first time in cool old Lismore.

I was at the last fundraiser and had a great time. There's something about live jazz that reaches across generations and attitudes that is quite magical really. And the cheap beer... very hip.

This gig will feature Jazz on the Move, Ros Tipper's Beale Street Mamas and a heap of guest musicians. Competent jammers are also welcome. Entry is $15/10. More on this gig later. For information phone 6688 2284.

Outdoor film festival

Melbourne has MIFF, Brisbane has BIFF and now Bangalow has BOFF - the Bangalow Outdoor Film Festival.

And the good news doesn't stop there. Hold onto something... the Window Dressing Competition is back!The BASC film festival, established in 2001, has had a makeover and returns to Bangalow as BOFF.

The festival will screen over nine days from Friday, October 1, and will be staged under starlight at the Bangalow Showground.