The Scene - Local Entertainment News

S Sense

From the top of the ferris wheel the view takes in the whole showground. The show is on. Yeeha. Bright and noisy. It's Saturday night. Yep, from up here you can see the whole shebang.

Beneath me, the dumb shooting gallery where everyone wins a stuffed toy worth a dollar but it's five bucks to have a go; over there, the poultry section where the electricity went off during the storm and in the darkness the chooks got confused. Then a cock crowed... and the lights came back on. The rooster was pretty impressed by his own power and strutted. As much as one can strut in a little cage.

It's hard to buy something to eat... well, it is for me - I'm a vego. Over there, near the cattle resting from their realistic performance in the arena spectacular, is the dagwood dog stand where I went earlier.

From over-worked little speakers, a recorded spiel all about dagwood dogs blares out in a never-ending loop. Weird. The girl behind the counter looked like she was going to scream. I asked her if there was any meat in a dagwood dog. Hey, I was hungry and desperate. And I was fairly sure there wouldn't be. I never found out. She started screaming.

Headline - VEGO IN TOP HAT HARASSES DAGWOOD DOG WOMAN!

But look. Down there - the showring where I saw something... well, great.

After an indigenous woman sang of a hopeful future, I saw 24 white horsemen (and women) in their cowboy hats and moleskins, atop steaming beasts, thunder into the arena in pairs - each with a large flag. One with an Australian flag, one with an Indigenous Australian flag. Twelve of each. To huge applause from the show crowd. Good on you, Lismore.

A ferris wheel is a good place to have a quiet smoke and contemplate. Anyway, now I'm going to go to the members' room to have a beer (bummer, no Coopers...), and talk to blokes with blue shirts and neat hair.

Saffire to sparkle

How many classical guitarists does it take? Four.

Following the success of their debut CD, which won an ARIA in 2003, Saffire, a quartet of Australia's hottest classical guitarists, are back on the North Coast with their new CD, Nostalgia. Saffire will perform at the Byron Community Centre next Wednesday, November 3.

Saffire is Karin Schaupp, Gareth Koch, Anthony Field and Slava Grigoryan. They'll play a program that runs from Bartok to Deep Purple. Interesting.

Where art wows

Liz Deckers' 'O for Apple' (top) and Aine's 'Puffer-Buffer (Allow me!)' were winners in the National Tertiary Art Prize.

Two Southern Cross University visual arts students, Liz Deckers and Aine, have won the 2D and 3D sections (respectively) at the National Tertiary Art Prize this month.

Liz Deckers, of Mullumbimby, was awarded first prize in the Painting/Works on Paper/Printmaking section for her work O for Apple, which is etchings on dried pear and apple. Judges found her prints "quirky and exquisite". (Tasty?)

Aine, of Nimbin, was awarded first prize in the Sculpture/Jewellery/Installation work category. She entered a wax sculpture titled Puffer-Buffer (Allow Me!), which the judges described as an "amazing, energetic, whimsical and youthful work that also carries a message."

Both Aine and Liz will be graduating this year along with seven other students from the Honours program. Congrats girls.

Alexander the great

Song Zu's creative director, Ramesh Sathiah, gives students in SCU's Bachelor of Contemporary Music an insight into the music industry during a workshop at the university. And gives a prize!

Owen Alexander, a third-year student in SCU's Bachelor of Contemporary Music, has been awarded the $5000 Song Zu annual prize for the best composition folio.

The prize was awarded by Song Zu's creative director, Ramesh Sathiah, who was a student in the Bachelor of Contemporary Music during the 1990s. Song Zu is the leading music and sound design company in the Asia Pacific region, creating the music for major advertising campaigns and television productions. Good on you Owen. Buying drinks?

Art Prize and Artsfest at Coraki

Coraki is the place to be this weekend with the seventh annual Coraki Tea Tree Art Prize, a highly acclaimed event with over $5000 in prizes, including $1000 for Best in Show.

Opening night and prize giving takes place this Friday, October 29, at the Youth Hall in Bridge Street, Coraki, starting at 7pm. Entry is $6, which includes light supper, a complimentary glass of wine and great entertainment. (Sorry, no children due to regulations).

The exhibition is open all weekend.

Then there's the Coraki Tea Tree Artsfest, which runs Saturday and Sunday, October 30-31. Some of the many events are:

Pre-booked farm tours will run during the Artsfest. Tickets can be purchased at the Coraki Newsagency or phone 6683 2832.

The Richmond River will serve as great inspiration for keen poets as poetic Chris Mackie lays down the law of the Poetry Comp. How good are you? For more info phone Chris on 6683 2626.

A big red truck will be the target for graffiti art at the Artsfest on Saturday, October 30. Youth workers will be supervising this fun event at the Skate Park in Bridge Street, Coraki, from 9am til 3pm. There will be a free BBQ lunch for kids who participate.

Younger kids can show their artistic talent with chalk art.

Art, workshops, food, stalls, fun and games - all part of the Artsfest at Coraki this weekend.

Brilliant Cup night

Lyn Lockrey smiles upon his poetic victory.

The quality of poetry at this year's Lismore Poetry Cup, held at the Rous Hotel, was described by more than one poetry punter as "brilliant" and "the best ever".

With 30 poets competing, the competition was stiff, but the judges eventually decided on Lyn Lockrey as the winner of the Cup with his poem, The Cutting Room Floor Revisited, which was a lyrical comment on the current world situation - especially concerning Iraq. He won $150 sponsored by Noah's Arc Bookstore.

He said he was "very surprised" and was thankful of David Hallett's support of poetry in the area.

The People's Choice winner was Cat Scobie, who won $100 sponsored by The Live Poets!

Win tickets to Hero

The Echo has a swag of double passes to the new release movie, Hero, to be won by smart readers. Well, fairly smart...

Remember Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000? Hero is similar in that it's a Chinese production set in early times and features beautiful, ballet-like fight scenes.

But Hero is the next step forward in this type of epic oriental filmmaking.

The film is set in China in the third century BC. The country is divided into six kingdoms that have been fighting for decades. The kingdom of Qin is determined to rule the others. This ruthless king is, understandably, the object of many assassination attempts. He needs a defender - a warrior who will defeat the master assassins - Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Sky (from Nimbin)... I won't say more. You have to see the movie.

The stunts, the swordplay and the magnificent scenery are all captured by Australian cinematographer Chris Doyle's camera. Directed and co-written by Zhang Yimou, Hero is a visual feast of a story that keeps the audience guessing right to its climax.

It opens at Lismore Cinemas next Thursday, November 4.

This is the finest of the Chinese epics to date and a film well worth winning a double pass to. Winners can see the film anytime while it's on show.

Freebie: To go in the draw to win one of 30 (that's right folks, 30!) double passes, phone 6622 2888 between 10.15 & 10.45am next Monday, November 1, and tell us the name of China's modern capital. See, you don't have to be Einstein.

West End comes to Lismore

British actor Stephen Israel keeps a stiff upper in local production The Fine Art of Kissing the Ground.

Stephen Israel, a professional British actor, is performing in Rod Gibson's The Fine Art of Kissing the Ground at the Star Court Theatre in Lismore this Friday and Saturday, October 29-30. This comedic but honest depiction of schizophrenia is Baywrite Theatre's latest production.

Stephen, who has worked with stars such as Gene Wilder and Richard Harris, is in Australia for five months doing a house swap with a Mullumbimby family, who are living in his 550-year-old farmhouse in East Sussex.

He says, "This has been an amazing experience. The play is like One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest meets Cossi - dark, black and funny."

You may even question your own grasp on reality by the end of the evening.

Shows start at 8pm.

Tickets are $20/17. Tickets are available at the door or phone 6621 5600.

Industry leaders get behind Dolphins

National music industry heavyweights Catherine Harridy and Simon Moore (pictured), have agreed to take on judging duties for the two major Dolphin Awards for 2004 - the Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

Katherine Harridy has been A&R manager at Festival Mushroom for the past three years. Her ability to identify talent is legendary within the industry, with George (double platinum sales) and Eskimo Joe (platinum sales) being two of her first signings.

Simon Moore, with Sony ATV Publishing, is well known to members of the North Coast music scene, having presented a number of industry seminars in the region.

Some of the Dolphin Award categories will carry additional prizes, including a 1,000 CD pressing (compliments of Sebastian Chase of MGM) for the winner of Album of the Year.

Tickets for the 2004 Dolphin Awards Night, at Lismore City Hall on Tuesday, November 16, are available from Lismore Music Store, the ABC Centre in Ballina and Soundwaves in Byron Bay. $30 per head or $25 for members (includes dinner).

Oh, and one lucky person will win a Martinez acoustic guitar, compliments of Lismore Music Store.

Symphony the best...

The Lismore Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will give a performance this Saturday, October 30, at Lismore City Hall. There will be an orchestra, naturally, and two fine singers - Cathy Mooney and Louise Vanstone.

The program includes excerpts from Handel's The Water Music, Mozart's Symphony No. 40, Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite and George Bizet's Carmen Suite.

The LSO was formed last year with their first concert, staged in April this year, a huge success. Sold out, in fact.

LSO's aim is to provide affordable music for local music lovers and to provide a performance vehicle for classical musicians to play and network with other musicians.

Tickets are $15/10 or $40 for a family and are available at the Lismore Music Centre in Magellan Street; at The Bookworm in Alstonville Plaza and at The Boutique in Ballina.

Concert starts at 8pm.

Havan the skill

Brigitte Odum Havan was born in Saigon in 1955 to a French father and a Vietnamese mother. Brigitte was first inspired to paint by the small churches and galleries of Paris, where she often took refuge to escape the hectic pace of the city.

She moved to Australia in 1984 and currently resides in The Channon.

Brigitte's love of the North Coast is reflected in her oil paintings and bronze sculptures.

Her works are showing at the Pogel's Wood Art Gallery in Federal until the end of December.

Fabulous Fabio Friday

The hills will again be pulsating to hot African rhythms when Fabio Chivhanda, master of the mbira dzavadzimu (?) and his band return to Coorabell Hall this Friday, October 29.

Fabio's dazzling Shona music is a fusion of authentic Zimbabwe jit (?) styles with contemporary and traditional mbira rhythms.

The show starts at 8pm and entry is $16/14.

(Okay. A mbira is a sophisticated type of thumb piano. I don't know what a jit is...)

Jazz Thierry

Bassist Thierry Fosmale returns to the Rous Hotel in Lismore next Tuesday, November 2, with a new quartet featuring Brisbane pianist Steven Newcombe. As part of the regular Jazz & Blues night at the Rous, the Thierry Fosmale Quartet will perform a mix of jazz standards and some originals penned by Thierry himself.

Show starts at 8pm and costs $5.

Nimbin youth go digital

Nimbin youth are leading the way with Digital Daring, an exhibition showcasing the results of multimedia skills workshops for young people hosted by the Nimbin Community Technology Centre (CTC).

"We have over 25 young members aged 8-16, engaged in activities including digital photography and photo editing, digital film and video editing, electronic music production and web site creation," said coordinator Paris Naday.

Digital Daring opens at the Nimbin Regional Art Gallery this Friday, October 29, with an opening celebration this Saturday, October 30, from 3pm.

Digital Daring will showcase short films, video clips, music and digital photographic art work created by members of the Nimbin Multimedia Youth Club and the Nimbin 'Links to Learning' multimedia project.

For more information phone the CTC on 6689 1183.

Blues kinda feeling

Robert Susz first came to prominence as the lead singer and chief songwriter of the very successful 80s soul band, The Dynamic Hepnotics. Susz penned their hit, Soul Kinda Feeling. His new band, Continental Blues Party, carry forward those compelling grooves, blues, funk and soul rhythms.

Susz leads the Continental Blues Party with infectious enthusiasm and you can catch the good vibes at the Pioneer Tavern in Wollongbar this Saturday, October 30, from 8.30pm.

Change of season

NORPA's 2004 season of entertainment came to a close last Saturday night with the Footscray Community Arts Centre/Beaker production of Hello Kitty. This performance raised a few laughs as well as a few eyebrows, dealing with some interesting identity issues from the gay Asian-Australian community perspective. Certainly the karaoke was as tacky as promised! Hello Kitty completed a busy season featuring some of Australia's most celebrated artists and some of its rising stars. NORPA's season commenced with one of three outdoor events, the enchanting A Midsummer Nights Dream, which played to sell out audiences in the Bangalow Showgrounds. In an attempt to break the North Coast drought, NORPA then tempted fate again and presented a free community production titled The Flood in April. Naturally it rained on opening night but was followed by two performances, which were featured on the ABC TV program Sunday Afternoon. The season continued with performances from Company B Belvoir, Legs On The Wall, Monkey Baa Productions and a sell out concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti. Only two weeks ago, two hundred diners enjoyed an exceptional Feast prepared by renowned chef Karen Martini under the stars in the City Hall gardens. This time the rain had the decency to hold off until guests were leaving at the Cinderella hour.

And it's still only October.

The NORPA team are now busy preparing the 2005 program to be launched early next year. If you would like to receive an invitation to attend the launch or be posted a season brochure when it becomes available, call NORPA on 6622 0300 or visit www.norpa.org.au and submit your details.

NORPA would like to thank our committed sponsors and the many artists who have made our 11th season of events so successful, and of course our subscribers and the many volunteers who support the performing arts in the Northern Rivers region.

Coming Soon to the NORPA Venues

Telek in concert with David Bridie
Star Court Theatre, Lismore
Thurs, Nov 18, 8pm

"Telek is utterly compelling"

- Rolling Stone.

After an extraordinary relationship/collaboration that has spanned more than 18 years, Papuan New Guinean artist George Telek and David Bridie will perform together at the Star Court Theatre in Lismore in November. Telek is touring nationally to support his third world music album Amette, also co-produced by David Bridie of Not Drowning Waving/My Friend The Chocolate Cake fame.

The album was recorded at David's Enormodome studio in Melbourne in 2003 and mixed by Not Drowning Waving's Tim Cole. The album focuses on the acoustic side of Telek's writing, featuring a mix of string band, Pacific roots pop and traditional Tolais songs. The result is very Pacific in sound with three part harmonies, kundu drums and guitar work.

This special double bill is an evening of live music not to be missed. For tickets and information call 6621 5600 or visit www.norpa.org.au.