The Scene - Local Entertainment News

The Good Wood for Christmas

The fire event at Woodford: a spectacular climax to the six-day festival.

What has 90,000 visitors, offers 400 performances, and runs for six days and nights between Christmas and New Year in Queensland?

The legendary Woodford Folk Festival of course, which kicks off next Friday with its typically enthralling array of music, dance, film, art, workshops, poetry, comedy, theatre and much, much more.

Among the headline performers at this year's festival are The Whitlams, The Waifs, Deborah Conway, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, Ted Egan, Dya Singh and The Revelators, featuring Joe Camilleri - along with a host of others. More than 2,500 performers will appear in the week-long celebration of all things good and true.

Of course a number of local performers will also be heading across the border, including comedian S Sorrensen, singer/songwriter Jodi Martin and poets Christine Strelan and David Hallett.

Along with the music, there's plenty to make you think at Woodford. The Murri program not only showcases Indigenous performers, it also brings Aboriginal issues to the fore. The film festival ranges from documentaries to the surreal - 3-D monster movie madness, animation, panels and workshops. There's also plenty to keep the kids occupied - theatre, puppetry, concerts, workshops, circus and even child minding for a reasonable fee.

Toss in a wonderful selection of world music - and performers from around the globe - plus the amazing, mind-blowing New Year's Eve fire event and you have all the ingredients to keep you enthralled, entertained and delighted between Christmas and the new year.

Woodford is west from the Sunshine Coast - about a 60-minute drive from Brisbane.

Tickets range in price from $295 - for six days including camping, to $48 for an evening pass. To find out more about the Woodford Folk Festival, visit www.woodfordfolkfestival.com, or phone (07) 5496 1066.

Making a Break for it

A photo of Altamira Henley taken during last year's breakdance competition, by E Janavicius.

After the huge success of the event last year, Northern Rivers Dance Action is presenting the Australia Day Breakdance Competition again in 2003.

Local breakdancers can enter as a solo dancer or a crew in under or over 14 categories, and there will also be the opportunity for dancers to display their best spins and stunts.

The event, being held at the Lismore Skate Park on Australia Day, January 26, 2003, will also include surprise dance performances, DJs and heaps of prizes.

Breakdance classes are being held soon so dancers can brush up on their techniques, and parents and supporters are also needed to help with preparations.

Interested people must register before January 22, 2003. For more information, to volunteer or register phone 6622 3279 or email emma@norpa.org.au.

God, What a Baby

The Durga Babies perform two last gigs on the north coast before going into hibernation for a few weeks break.

Locally renowned funksters The Durga Babies will perform two more gigs on the north coast this year - on Saturday, December 21, at the Hotel Brunswick, and a big bash on Christmas Eve, December 24, at the Nimbin Hotel.

If you're not into the traditional Christmas Eve of carols and candlelight, the Durga Babies gig at Nimbin will provide a great alternative.

Durga is actually the name of the Indian Goddess of protection, Shiva's bodyguard, and in light of this the Nimbin gig will feature a special Indian theme.

The Durga Babies are well-known for putting on fantastic gigs, and these two promise to be no exception. Over the festive season The Durga Babies will retreat into the studios to mix their CD, in readiness for its launch in February 2003.

Both gigs this weekend are free. If you love to dance don't miss them.

Earlybirds Extended

Anjelique Kidjo, just one of the many fantastic musicians who will perform at the 2003 East Coast Blues and Roots Festival.

Organisers of the 2003 East Coast Blues and Roots Festival have extended earlybird tickets for residents in the Byron, Ballina and Lismore shires.

The earlybird tickets represent a 20 per cent saving on the gate price, and with the current line-up looking so impressive they're well worth taking advantage of (a great Chrissie present too!)

Musicians already confirmed include Blues Festival favourite Anjelique Kidjo, Aussie star Kasey Chambers, Indigenous rockers Yothu Yindi, stunning guitarist Jeff Lang, Roy Ayers and even the fabulous Michelle Shocked. And that's only what's been confirmed. It's possible The Violent Femmes and Bob Geldof will be added to that line-up.

Earlybird season tickets for the festival are $190 an adult, $115 for children 12-17 years, and $30 for kids aged 6-11 years. Earlybird three-day passes are $175 an adult, $105 for children 12-17 years, and $25 for kids aged 6-11 years.

Tickets are available from Choppers in Lismore, the ABC Shop in Ballina, Soundwaves in Byron Bay and the Blues Festival office at Shop 2, 142 Bangalow Road, Byron Bay.

The East Coast Blues and Roots Festival opens at 2pm on Thursday, April 17 and runs from April 18 to 20 from 12pm to 12am. For more info check out the website www.bluesfest.com.au.

Sleepy Sunday Perth-based experimental rock outfit Sleepy Jackson will perform this Sunday, December 22, at the Great Northern in Byron Bay - as part of a national tour with Gelbison. Sleepy Jackson and Gelbison have recently released EPs - Let your Love be Love and Metal Detector respectively - gaining them high rotation airplay on Triple J. For just $5, it's well worth a look. Doors open at 8pm.

Hark! The Earthly Angels Sing The choirs of St Carthage's Cathedral and St Andrew's Church (pictured) will combine forces again this year to present The Service of 9 Lessons and Carols this Sunday, November 22, at the St Andrew's Anglican Church. The service has taken place in Lismore each Sunday before Christmas for the last 25 years, and is led by Warren Whitney - the principal organist for both churches. The service will begin at 7.15pm, and will be accompanied by the sound of the newly installed peal of church bells at St Andrew's Church.

The Art of Nimbin 'Self portrait' by Iain Harrison (pictured) is just one of the artworks featured in the exhibition Nimbin at Heart, which continues over the school holidays at the Nimbin Regional Gallery. The exhibition features more than 60 artworks in a variety of media, created by artists who currently live in Nimbin and by former residents who, despite location, still call the small village home. Each of the artworks relate to Nimbin in some way, whether it be an emotion Nimbin evokes expressed on canvas or the subject matter itself. Nimbin at Heart is one show until February 2.

Once Upon a Farm...

Norma Balzer with her new book Once Upon a Farm: A Life in Poems and Photography.

Dunoon resident Norma Balzer recently released her second book, Once Upon A Farm: A Life in Poems and Photography.

The book traces Norma's life on her farm at Dunoon, from when she moved there in 1949 to the present day. The poems and photos tell both happy and sad tales of life on the farm, from what it was like for her six children to grow up there, to the drought in the 1950s and the difficulties Norma faced keeping the farm going after her husband passed away in 1989. The book features more than 120 photographs, and 25 poems.

"The book's for other people who have lived a similar life to enjoy, and for those who haven't lived it to understand what it was like," Norma said. "There's ordinary poems for ordinary people, and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the experiences. I'd always thought I would do a book like this, and being 80 now I thought I had better get on and do it before time runs out."

The front cover of Norma's book is a drawing of their farm done by her daughter Susan when she was teenager.

Once Upon a Farm: A Life in Poems and Photography is Norma's second book, her first being a teenage fiction novel called The Secret Enemy that she released in the late 1980s.

The book is now available for $24.95 from ABC Bookshops in Lismore or Ballina, Dymocks in Lismore or Persephone's Window Bookshop in Byron Bay.

Art and About in Evans Head

'Pale headed rosellas' by Geoff Richards - one of the works featured in ArtAbout at the Paperbark, now on show in Evans Head.

A new exhibition featuring works from the local ArtAbout group, entitled ArtAbout at the Paperbark, is now on show at the Paperbark Gallery in Evans Head.

ArtAbout is a group of north coast artists who meet regular at different locations in the Northern Rivers to discuss ideas, share inspiration and create collective exhibitions.

Art About members include Keith Cameron, Margaret E Brown, Jan Greentree, Pam Cowgill, Lynn Shearer, Geoff Richards, Noel Gibson, Wendy McGain, Pat Jenkins and Margaret Wright.

Their new offering is a diverse collection of works, which includes both traditional and modern paintings, sculptures, textiles and painted steel furniture.

The exhibition is on show until January 24, 2003. During this time on selected Sundays, between 10am and 12pm, some of the artists will demonstrate and discuss their work. Times are: Jan Greentree on December 29; Margaret E Brown and Noel Gibson on January 5; Lynn Shearer on January 12; and Pam Cowgill on January 19.

The gallery is open seven days a week excluding Christmas, Boxing and New Year's days.

For more information phone the gallery on 6682 5188.

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