The Scene - Local Entertainment News

S Sense

I don't go out in the sun much these days. I prefer moonlight and the liquid yellow light of the sunset. I like to toast every sunset and drive home, well worn-out but still grooving, in the re-born, sobering rays of a new day.

I wear a hat. I like long sleeves. I'm a white man. The sun loves me like a glowing brand loves a steer. I see the moles on my skin as evidence that my body is trying to go black - a sensible colour for Australians - but doesn't know how. My skin is suited to - well, nowhere really. No, wait - to inside. My skin is suited to inside. And night times. So, these days I spend a lot of time inside at night. Which is not unusual given that's where my bed is.

But time catches you in the end - or in my case - on the face. Skin cancer. Sunspots. Whatever you want to call them, they're the result of a Queensland childhood spent in the sun in an era when hats were uncool, swimming was for the middle of the day and sunburn was so normal we had a special little waste basket for putting the peeled skin in. We called it the skin bin. I mean you couldn't just throw it out with other stuff. It's human. We buried it. No prayers, but.

When my mother had her skin cancers removed they used nitrogen or something and froze them off. When my sister had hers done they used laser. Burned them off with light. This friend of mine, who has skin so fine and pale you can see the blood pump through the capillaries of her cheeks when you smile at her, had hers done using sonar. That's right, they used sound to get rid of them. They hold a pen-like instrument up to the cancer on your forehead. I don't know exactly what goes on but I think they got this little amplifier in it that plays Britney Spears and the cancer goes, "Oh bugger this," and drops off dead.

Trouble is, you look a bit scabby for a while afterwards. I'm not vain but as my friends will tell you, "Yes he is". What this means is that I don't like looking scabby. And the Lismore Cup is on. There's fashion, pretty girls, cold beer, little bits of paper everywhere, staggering drunks and the suddenly destitute. And horses run about. I wouldn't want to miss that.

Raw prawn comedy

As far as I know, Sean Choolburra (pictured) is Australia's only Aboriginal stand-up comedian. (Professionally, that is. There's plenty of funny fellas in that original mob.) After winning Triple J's Raw Comedy 2002 State Final for NSW, Sean has gone on to become a versatile Indigenous performer with skills as a didgeridoo player, singer, dancer, actor and comedian. And it's the comedy that North Coast audiences will be able to get a taste of when Sean comes to the Raw Prawn Comedy Club at Paddy McGinty's Tavern in Ballina next Wednesday, September 28.

Having just completed a series of one-man shows called Oil Of My Land at the Sydney Opera House, Sean heads north to give audiences a chance to get in on the hilarious black fella yarn.

He headlined the Dreaming Festival (at the Woodford Folk Festival site) this year and his recent appearance on The Footy Show has seen him invited back for a second appearance. He has just returned from performing in Hong Kong. Things are going well for this Townsville boy.

Sean Choolburra is a charming comedian on stage. Perhaps that's because of his ability to share the naivety of the small town Aboriginal boy still coming to grips with the big city lights.

Mandy Nolan (pictured below) will MC this comedy feast, which starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are $35 and that includes a three-course meal. For bookings phone 6686 2135.

• Freebie: The Echo has a double dinner pass for this show (worth $70) to give away to some very lucky reader. To go in the draw to win phone 6622 2888 between 10.15 & 10.30am next Monday, September 26, and tell us if Townsville has a) an underwater hotel, b) an Al Q'aeda cell, or c) an army base.

Shocked and Awed

Michelle Shocked (pictured) has shocked the music world with her bold move of releasing a set of three CDs (called Threesome) simultaneously. This is not really a new thing for Michelle. She started her recording career with three stylistically distinct, but connected, albums in Short Sharp Shocked (1988), Captain Swing (1989) and Arkansas Traveler (1992). These three albums defined her working milieu - rock, country, blues, folk, swing and all types of Indigenous American music.

Born in a Texas swamp, punk-rocked in San Francisco, drugged in a mental institution, raped by a Green party comrade at an anti cruise missile protest in Sicily - Michelle Shocked has seen the world through eyes that are wild, articulate and filled with understanding.

You can gain an insight into Michelle's world when she plays the Great Northern Hotel in Byron this Saturday, September 24, from around 9pm.

Youth Surge

They look like ordinary kids but when Kanaka walk on stage they transform into rock gods - with enough powers to win the Casino Beef Week Youth Band Contest. They will be part of Surge - an underage gig for young music lovers in Ballina.

We live in a world where entertainment venues are dominated by the selling and consumption of alcohol. And the endless pinging of pokies. What a sad situation for young followers of the popular arts. Most rock gigs are in pubs where you have to be 18 to get in.

But the Ballina RSL Club is fighting back with an underage gig (for 13-18 year-olds) next Wednesday, September 28, called Surge. It's hoped that this will be the first of many for the local youth.

The gig will showcase the remarkable young musical talent on the North Coast with Brittle Fex, Double or Nothing, Dark Phoenix and Kanaka performing.

The show starts at 6pm and rages through till 10pm.

Tickets are $7 and must be pre-sold. You can get them from the club or phone 6686 2544.

Massed choir

Fifty local voices will combine to create the sacred sound of the community in a choral celebration in Lismore.

Did you know that masses come in different keys? The Mass in D by Dvorak will be sung by a 50-voice choir at St Andrew's Anglican Church in Zadoc Street, Lismore, this Friday, September 23.

The choir is a combined regional choir accompanied by organist Warren Whitney. The conductor is Stuart Weightman, a New Zealander. Stuart is responsible for six NZ choirs comprising all age groups. As the principal conductor for the Auckland Primary Schools Choral Festival he has been responsible for successfully uniting the voices of 550 eight to 12-year-olds on the stage. (I have difficulty getting two 12-year-olds to do anything...)

Soloists will be contralto Cathy Mooney and soprano Janelle Roworth.

Pieces by Bruckner and Goodall will also be performed - but wait, there's more - how about an instrumental interlude featuring local group Tapestry String Trio?

The concert starts at 7.30pm and tickets are $12/10 at the door.

The choir will also lead the singing at the 9am Mass at St Carthages Catholic Cathedral in Lismore this Sunday, September 25.

Running with women

Steve Vinay Gunther, who lives on the North Coast and is the founder and director of the Northern Rivers Gestalt Institute, has written a book to help men with their relationships with women. Well, good luck. Okay, maybe more than luck is needed.

In his book Understanding the Woman in Your Life he draws on couples' experiences and examines small but important everyday encounters to allow men to see what is happening from the woman's point of view. With engaging humour and an experienced eye, the author helps men understand how to live with this perplexing other species - promising to give them some valuable insights.

Understanding the Woman in Your Life is published by Finch Publishing and is available through most bookshops.

Souled at Harrod's

You can almost feel the music of this woman just by looking at her. She is, of course, Tina Harrod, and she'll be exposing her vocal intimacies in Bangalow this weekend.

Tina Harrod was born in the land of the long white cloud (that's New Zealand, not England) to Welsh and Fijian parents. This exotic mix was bound to produce a singer - and so it came to pass.

Having crossed the moat, Tina Harrod is now Australia's ‘Queen of Soul' and will be performing at the Bangalow Catholic Hall this Saturday, September 24.

Tina will be singing with famous funksters the Jackie Orszaczky Trio. You can expect to hear songs from some of her favourite soul artists like Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Donny Hathaway and Marvin Gaye. She will also sing her own tunes. And what a voice she has.

"Tina Harrod has one of these gorgeous vocal instruments which just oozes soul, sex and sensuality," wrote Bruce Elder of the Sydney Morning Herald.

After performing with Jackie Orszaczky during the late 90s, Tina began to sit down at the piano and write her own songs. In 2003 she launched her first album Shacked Up in Paradise - it became an instant classic as they say.

Doors open for food by Coffee Oasis at 7.15pm. The soul and funk starts at 8pm. Tickets are $16/14 at the door.

Short course drama

NIDA is coming to Lismore. This institute has honed the dramatic talents of many of Australia's theatre and film professionals. NIDA tutors - (from left) Sam Worthington (loved him in Somersault), Nathaniel Dean (AFI Award winning actor), Edith Podesta and Nicholas Bishop (Home & Away) - will arrive in Lismore to run short courses for the theatrically inspire.

The National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) provides drama training that is admired around the world. Many of Australia's finest actors, directors, technicians etc have graduated from NIDA. They include Cate Blanchett, Mel Gibson, Hugo Weaving, Baz Luhrmann, Jacqueline McKenzie, Miranda Otto and many more. Normally you would have to go to Sydney for such expertise but NIDA is on tour to selected regional areas and will be in Lismore from Saturday, September 24, until Thursday, September 29, providing short courses in drama.

Courses will be held at Trinity Catholic College in Lismore. Check out the courses below:

Weekday Courses (11am-5pm, Monday-Thursday, September 26-29):

Acting for Stage & Screen 16 years+ (experience the power of voice, movement and improvisation in relation to characters from plays, films and TV, and rehearse and perform a scene to camera. This course is introductory.)

Acting for stage and screen 12-15 years (develop acting skills by creating characters based on heroes, heroines and villains. Examine how these extreme characters work together to create dramatic scenes for both stage and screen.)

Weekend Courses (11am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25):

Acting to Camera 12-15 years (explore on-screen presence and experiment with scene work from film and TV scripts.)

Directing Intensive 16 years+ (stimulate the imagination and gain skills to get the best out of actors and a script.)

For bookings, phone 9697 7626, email open@nida.edu.au or check the website and download an application form at www.nida.edu.au/short_courses/open.

Dramatic success

Year 12 students Lindsey Cuthbertson (below) and Emily Attard (above) from St John's College Woodlawn have been nominated for Onstage at the Seymour Theatre Centre, Sydney, in February next year.

Onstage presents the outstanding performances from NSW HSC drama students. Both nominees only started learning drama last year. Lindsey adapted his piece A Night To Remember from a Irish play by Marie Jones while Emily wrote her monologue Equations herself.

Good on you both. Break a leg... each.

Brisbane-based indie band The Red Paintings are brushing up their act at the Nimbin Hotel this Friday, September 23, from 8.30pm, as part of their Mad World tour. Check out their visually stimulating show and their cerebrally stimulating philosophies. See how pale their faces are...

Their single Walls was the second most played alternative track on Australian radio in June.

He plays country. He plays the blues. He wears a hat and has a guitar with two necks. His album Razorback Road has the punters packing out his live gigs to hear the man sing his songs. His name is Bo Jenkins and he'll be playing the Lennox Point Hotel this Sunday, September 25, at 5pm.

Local rockers Xsentrix will be shakin' up the house at the Gollan Hotel in Lismore this Saturday, September 24, at 8pm.

Their classy covers will contribute some solid rock to the Masters Games celebrations.

Aroha have been preparing for months for their first gig. The time has come. With the smooth vocals and guitar of songstress Rohen Davis up front, the sound is all original, chilled grooves with influences as diverse as hip hop and rock.

Aroha will play the Winsome Hotel in Lismore this Sunday, September 25, at 2pm.

Art Bentley in Casino

This painting The Long Haul by Geoff May is one of 30 artworks selected by the driving force behind the Bentley Art Prize since its inception, Reg Hartley. This year Reg retired after 21 years (well deserved rest, cobber) but has picked his favourites for this exhibition, Celebrate Bentley, at the Platypus Gallery in Casino.

Other artists on display include Margaret E Brown, David Nixon, Tom Offord, and Wendy McGain. Celebrate Bentley runs until September 30.

For more info phone the gallery on 6662 3566.

Life in art

This painting Summer by Marika Bryant is part of her exhibition at Armistead's Gallery in Lismore.

Marika, who calls herself a poet and a comedian - as well as a visual artist - works with the changing tides of her moods. She says she allows the "brush, palette knife, paint and textures to respond to my mood".

She is excited by texture, colour and light. Inside her paintings you will find words, fragments of humour, personal memories - in fact, her life is embedded (literally and metaphorically) in her art.

Marika's exhibition runs until September 28.

For more info phone the gallery on 6622 8011.

The Vue from Byron are taking off. It's been a big year for The Vue. With a gourmet selection of originals and covers, this trio with the big sound is embarking on its Leaving Home Tour with a gig at the Chincogan Hotel in Mullumbimby this Friday, September 23; one at the Great Northern Hotel in Byron next Thursday, September 29, and then gigs in Nimbin and Lismore during October, until the tour finale at the Great Northern Hotel in Byron on October 30.

Sure they look pretty relaxed now, but when Soul Traders hit the stage at the Jazz & Blues night at the Rous Hotel in Lismore next Tuesday, September 27, they become a power trio pumping out stripped-back soul with a selection of Motown, soul and R&B - and a few originals thrown in for good measure.

The cool tunes start at 8.30pm and $5 gets you in.

Masking in the glory

The Channon is a magical place. This is a photo of the famous Channon Jazz Quartet, which is one of many acts performing at The Channon Spring Arts Masked Ball. Can you guess what instrument the fourth (invisible) member is holding?

The Channon Community Carnival presents The Channon Spring Arts Masked Ball at The Channon Hall this Friday, September 23, to celebrate the spring equinox. It's a fundraiser for the local hall and other community organisations.

The ball will feature the virtuosity of The Channon Jazz Quartet, the klezmatic gypsy funk of Stipsky, the region's newest Nuevo Latino outfit Arrancador del Fuego, DJ Pappa J, The Crazy Jester and Nimbin's Can-Can troupe, The Liquorice Allsorts.

The Channon Fire Brigade will be running the bar, The Channon School P&C will be providing the hot beverages, and supper will be supplied by The Channon Youth Group. Local artists will display their artwork - and masks are available for sale on the night.

Early bird tickets are $18. Tickets on the nights cost $20 if you have a mask or $25 if you don't. Ticket prices include supper.

Tickets are available from us here at The Northern Rivers Echo in Lismore, Music Bizarre in Lismore, The Channon Store, Dunoon General Store and Nimbin Herbal Highs.

• Freebie: The Echo has two double passes to give away to a couple of lucky readers. To go in the draw to win phone 6622 888 between 11 & 11.15am this Friday, September 23, and tell us how many people are in the Jazz Channon Quartet? Clue: More than two; less than five.

How they felt

This gorgeous bit of felting art by Annette Cooper is part of the exhibition Entwined showing in Kyogle.

This Sunday, September 25, the Roxy Gallery in funky uptown Kyogle will open the exhibition Entwined by Annette and Melody Cooper from 2-4pm. Annette's felt is light and silken with delicate needlework. Her daughter Melody has her mother's felt-making skills but also incorporates other media including beads, mosaics and printed (or dyed) fabrics.

Mother and daughter have always fed each other's interests in all things and the result is fantastic and unique. Felt is a medium whose potential is explored lovingly by this pair.

Together they are a formidable artistic team.

Entwined runs until October 19.

For more info phone the gallery on 6632 3518.

Is there a fiddlin' woman out there?

Mark Eady, producer of the Waltzing Matilda Story, a theatrical extravaganza starring Peter Ryan as Banjo Patterson that will show during the North Coast National from October 20-22, is looking for someone to play the role of Christina Macpherson - a friend of Banjo's then fiancée Sarah Riley.

Christina could play violin (or fiddle) and when she played a version of the Scottish tune Thou Bonnie Wood o' Cragielea, Banjo was inspired to add the words which became the lyrics to Australia's alternative national anthem, Waltzing Matilda.

"We are looking for a woman between 18 and 40 years of age, who would be able to play an Irish reel in front of thousands of people and be able to commit to all rehearsals and performances the week of the show," said Mark.

If you're interested in playing this role phone the show society on 6621 5916 or email christina@ozworks.net.