Macleay ValleyArts Council Inc
"Epiphany" is an exhibition of new watercolours and oils by MVAC member Mark Pryor. The works in the exhibition approach the concept of an epiphany from different perspectives and explore the stillness at the centre of all things. The majority of the work is an emotional response to this stillness in the natural environment. as a result each work is more of a"moment" rather than a representational scene.
A showcase to sell local, quality home made and grown products.
Live music!
Tasty foods!
Bargains!
An intimate afternoon of Australia’s finest Americana music is coming to the Oddfellows Hall in Kempsey.
Rory Ellis and Chris Haigh will be performing songs from Rory’s eight nationally and internationally acclaimed albums.
Get your listening ears on, prepare to take a seat and tune into the show. Just like sitting around the wireless in the day, you will get to tune into some great playing and stories. Rory Ellis is an underground hero of Americana in Australia.
Rory has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, alongside Richie Havens, Robert Cray, Canned Heat, Seth Lakeman, Charlie Musselwhite, Renee Geyer, Diesel and many others. and has performed at many of the largest UK Blues and Roots Festivals.
Joining Rory on stage is Chris Haigh a true legend in his own right having performed for many years with the greats of Australia’s country music scene including, Troy Cassar-Daley, Graeme Connors, Kasey Chambers, Goldrush with Tommy Emmanuel and Phil Emmanuel, even support shows with Billy Joel and so many more. Chris is possibly one of Australia’s best kept musical secrets.
“Rory Ellis is one of those singer/songwriters, like Leonard Cohen, who makes the hairs on your arms stand up by simply opening his mouth and uttering a few throaty words.” Brett Callwood: Acoustic Magazine UK.
“Rory Ellis is one of the great storytellers on the Australian roots scene. A big man with a huge voice, with a trove of outstanding material at his disposal, he immerses us into his world... His huge, deep voice is a remarkable instrument of rich and raw emotion. It is that voice, the absolute quality of the musicianship and incomparable song writing talent that really sets him apart as an artist.” Mick Griffin: Live Review, Bendigo Weekly.
“His is one of the most distinctive voices in Australian folk and country music, rich and full and emotive.” Jeff Glorfeld: The Melbourne Age, 2015.
The Date Brothers are Ian Date on guitar, trumpet and vocals, and Nigel Date on guitar. They are Australia’s leading exponents of the gypsy jazz guitar style.
Ian is a world renowned guitarist who’s shared the stage with many of the greatest international jazz musicians over his 40 odd year career.
The brothers get together in Australia once or twice a year as well as overseas, and that's about to happen here at the HOT CLUB in Kempsey.
Ian is the musical patron of the Oz Manouche gypsy guitar festival held in Brisbane each November which brings together the best of Australian Django style players as well as international guests.
The brothers have performed at a stack of music festivals and held concerts all over the place.
Recent recording collaborations for the Date Brothers include Tommy Emmanuel and James Morrison.
You won't want to miss this! BOOK NOW!
South West Rocks Arts Council presents Gleny Rae Virus and her Playboys on their CD Launch tour!
Diggin' A Hole is the latest offering from the band, a string-laden, bluegrass-infused album about lust, grief, environmental concerns and female bushrangers! Supported by the extraordinary Archer, Gleny Rae Virus will be backed by her talented playboys, Robbie Long, Pete Fidler & Sam Martin.
Tickets are $20 from Tickethost.
BOOK NOW!
We all know him as keyboardist and backing vocalist for the world’s favourite party band, The Cat Empire. Now, Ollie McGill is coming to the HOT CLUB to perform his progressive style of jazz with his new project The Ollie McGill Trio.
Aside from his membership in one of Australia’s most successful musical exports, The Cat Empire, Ollie plays part in several other Melbourne-based bands including The Conglomerate (a modern jazz quartet), Peaking Duck, The Future, 77 and Past Ollie’s Bedtime.
A producer and multi-instrumentalist, Ollie also composed the top 10 iTunes hit song ‘Dumb Ways to Die” for metro trains Melbourne. The video went viral, achieving over 6 million views in three days.
Describing their sound as electronic inspired jazz with progressive rock influences, prepare yourselves for an auditory experience unlike anything you’ve heard before!
Listen
Celebrating 10 years of harmony for this local mid-north coast a'cappella group. "Spokes" formerly known as "Wednesday" will be entertaining with friends, with songs to warm the heart and stir the soul.
Entry fee is $10 and includes afternoon tea.
Dancing between intricate, rhythmic cello lines, compelling lyrics and heart-tugging harmonies, Monique Clare is a powerhouse in the contemporary folk scene. She draws on tradition while boldly marching towards the forefront of innovation. She’s played mountaintop sunrise concerts, taught cello in Afghanistan and travelled the world diving into folklore treasure troves. Described as “pure joy” to watch, she delivers a live set that’s more or less a one-woman variety show. As the 2017 Folk Alliance Australia Young Artist of the Year she broke out as a solo artist, released and toured her debut EP, and is now touring internationally as part of The Maes through 2018. She’s a skilled and versatile multi-genre cellist, having worked for bluegrass legend Darol Anger, Scottish fiddler Hanneke Cassel and opera-trained pop singer Kate Miller-Heidke.
She's appearing at Macleay Valley Arts Council Sunday Sessions with drummer Caleb Colledge.
Tickets $20 members, $25 non-members.
Listen here.
Irish Mythen at the HOT CLUB!
Yes folks, another international touring star is coming to the HOT CLUB!
Irish Mythen was born in Ireland and now resides in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada.
"This Island creates music and musicians, art and artists. I found a shift to take things more seriously when I moved here." And she did just that. Her latest release, the self titled Irish Mythen, gained her recognition around the globe with nominations and wins coming from Music PEI, East Coast Music Association, Folk Alliance International and Socan. Write-ups in Australian Guitar Magazine, the Rolling Stone, and a plethora of online publications world wide have helped plant Irish firmly on the map of 'Must See Artists'.
More here: https://www.irishmythen.com/home
"Once in a great while a young guitarist captures the attention of music lovers early in his career and manages to sustain this interest as he matures creatively and sheds the prodigy label. Joe Robinson is one of those rare talents."
We couldn't agree more!
Your one chance to catch Joe on his annual summer break in Australia. Right here in the Macleay Valley! This year Joe & Family will perform at the Frederickton School of Arts.
NEWS: the seating will be HOT CLUB format, with tables & BYO everything!
*with special guest MINNIE MARKS!
160 seats available, first come first served. BOOK NOW! This WILL sell out.
The music of SNEZ embodies the art of songwriting in its most personal and universal forms. This enchanting songstress has a forte for describing the experiences of everyday life in a way that resonates with people everywhere, articulating moments of deep pain and pure joy. Coming from a Macedonian working-class family, where stories about hardship, romance, black magic, mysticism and work ethic have been passed down through generations, Snez subtly weaves these influences into her own stories and songs, and in the process produces tantalizingly personal and intimate performances.
In 2009, SNEZ released her debut album ‘Gypsy Soul’, and there began her journey as a travelling storyteller. Hailing from the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, with guitar in hand, SNEZ spent the next 5 years roaming remote and regional Australia, finding a willing audience around campfires, at cattle stations, on the side of highways and along pavements, at nursing homes, refugee camps, cafes, pubs, living rooms and indigenous schools; squeezing her world into a campervan for months at a time.
SNEZ seems to be able to cut to the heart of the matter not only lyrically, but live on stage. Her warm, passionate and compelling performance style, is peppered with comedic and haunting tales, layered harmonies and beautiful folk/pop melodies. When it comes to writing and performing, SNEZ definitely rules with her heart, not her head.
The music of Fru Skagerrak takes you on a journey through Scandinavia; from lowlands to mountains, from slow airs to lively polkas, in major and in minor, and everything in between. Fru Skagerrak – ”Lady Skagerrak” – are three master musicians, one from each Scandinavian country: Maja Kjær Jacobsen from Denmark, Elise Wessel Hildrum from Norway and Anna Lindblad from Sweden.
In 2011, these three globetrotting musicians met for the first time at Tønder Festival, Denmark’s biggest Folk Festival, in a roaring session that had engulfed the backstage bar. Through the mayhem of tunes you could feel a certain Scandinavian groove, and in that moment the connection between these three fiddlers was clear. After meeting at Tønder Festival for three consecutive years, Fru Skagerrak finally saw the light of day in August 2014.
The trio brings together the diverse traditions from each of their homelands, which surround the Skagerrak strait. Through a repertoire of traditional tunes, new compositions, and songs in their respective languages, they express their kinship and love of their shared heritage. The result is an explosion of the sounds that exist in Scandinavian music today.
Steeped in blues and country music, Liam Gerner left the Adelaide Hills to try his luck in London. The young guitar slinger quickly made a strong impression and earned a crust opening for Paul Weller, Jason Isbell, Drive by Truckers, Paolo Nutini and many more. Liam then headed to the US, joined Texan country rocker Ryan Bingham’s band and experienced frontline American roots music. Returning to Australia in 2014, Liam released his debut album ‘Land Of No Roads’, a startling collection of original songs he composed while touring with Bingham and cut with some of LA’s finest players and his follow up ‘Liam Gerner and the Sunset Pushers’ (2017).
Since then Liam has been touring relentlessly throughout Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Now based in Melbourne, Liam has developed his songwriting, collaborated with local musicians and formed The Sunset Pushers, a band as fluid and soulful as his songs. Liam tours extensively in Australia/New Zealand and is an in-demand guitarist working touring and recording with The Eurogliders, Pnau, Pnau & Elton John, records with Empire Of The Sun, and Vika and Linda Bull.
Bookings are direct with Woodfordia and tickets are $25, Under-12 free. MVAC Members get a special price of $20 per ticket!
BOOK TICKETS HERE!
Australian Blues|Roots|Gospel artist Dan Hopkins plays a punchy brand of modern roots that has a distinct delta flavour with gospel overtones. Dan creates an experience that could be described as Ash Grunwald, Eric Bibb and Paul Kelly meeting down at the crossroads. This culminates in an emotionally driven journey down a sweetly plucked but often dirty slide guitar borne road across the Southern blues idiom.
Winner of the Australian Blues Music Festival Busking Contest in 2016, Dan's dynamic finger style blues has recently enlivened audiences for Wendy Matthews, Mental as Anything and Sydney Blues Challenge winner (2014) Darren Jack.
Dan's smooth rich vocal tone, his dynamic finger style blues and dexterity on the slide guitar mixed with poignant lyrics create a highly versatile performer not to be missed.
A Mark Oats and Matty Zarb show is full of laughs, lots of fun and exciting musicianship. Mark and Matty have been great friends and musical mates since 1986 and never tire of playing together.
Like kids with toys it’s always fresh and totally entertaining!
Mark is without a doubt Australia’s most loved rascal fiddler with a style that is all his own that has taken him all around the world. Mark has been in the iconic Aussie band the Bushwackers line up for over 23 years now and is a favorite go see in whatever outfit he is playing with. His happy go lucky way is signature of what you see is what you get in total entertainment. He is an exceptional musician and a must see!
Matty has had a very colorful history to bring him into this act.
Matty is an accomplished guitar player and the perfect match to play alongside Mark. Matty has picked his way around the world too on his 23 year old Maton and just loves to entertain and sing his songs and tell his yarns. His ability to create beautiful music from his old Maton guitar is certainly grown out from his own style and sound. The two lads together is a very unique sound and a wonderful experience.
This coming year they will be out on the road playing festivals and events and can’t wait for every single gig With an eclectic mix of Celtic/Folk/Bushgrass type music with a feel only they can get together it’s a must see and hear.
Here is a showreel to give you a snippet of what you can expect in any show with them.
The 19-Twenty lads have been performing their high-energy sonic-party nationally, headlining sell-out shows and festivals in all states and territories. Constantly on the road or in the sky, they have toured seven times around Oz and performed gigs throughout Europe including Belgium, The Netherlands, France, and a suite of gigs in London (a highlight was a spell at the famous Alley Cat nightclub in SoHo). Performing anywhere and everywhere, this straight-up 100% independent act have been blazing throughout Europe and Australia and gaining new music fans/fiends from their live shows.
Listen here. Watch here.
