There is a huge lineup of awesome acts hitting the area this weekend and one of the great gigs will be Bullhorn at the Brewery on Saturday.
Grab a Bull by the Bullhorn
Bullhorn are an acoustic force of nature with a lineup including seven horn players, one drummer and one monster MC. Their sound is born from a mix of funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, reggae and dance music.
The new single So You Think is a homage to the classic drum and bass and jungle genres. The combination of Roman MC’s deep thought-provoking rhymes, the smooth blend of seven horns, and the energetic live drum and bass rhythms create something inspiring and exhilarating.
They are joined by Chocolate Strings, an outfit grown in the boroughs of Brisbane. Time has most definitely seasoned this crop into an out-and-out sensory feast. As a motley orchestra of eight they possess the pulse of afro-beat with a score built on soul, funk and ragga-fied melodies.
Like all out-and-out sensory feasts it’s those with variant flavours that set them apart. It is no wonder then that this tasty new single by Chocolate Strings plates up a second course filled with delicious soul food. Saturday at the Byron Brewery. 8pm. $10/15
Rockin’ the Bowlo
The Cadillac Rockers are a dynamic young band from Murwillumbah. They formed in May 2012 and play a great variety of rock ’n’ roll and swing music guaranteed to get your feet tapping. Come along to enjoy another great night of dancing.
DJ Lionel Gayford is well known in the dancing community and teaches swing dancing in Lismore. Rock ’n’ Swing Dance Saturday at the Bangalow Bowling Club. There will be prizes for best dressed – so give it a crack – theme is black and white. $15
Back in Bjork
Brant Bjork – the Low Desert Punk has again put together a band of serious rock players. His most ideal unit yet. Featuring Dave Dinsmore on bass (Che, Bl’ast), Bubba Dupree on guitar (Void, Hater) and Tont Tornay on drums (Fatso Jetson, Chuck Dukowski).
A new band with old-school, heavy, classic punk and rock roots but also a band with a fresh attitude of fire and urgency. Nightmare Music is proud to bring this new band to Australia for the first time this May/June for their debut tour.
In 2010, BB’s Kyuss brother, singer John Garcia, asked him if he was interested in putting the legendary Kyuss back together for a European tour. BB jumped at the chance to bring the music to the new generation of Kyuss fans.
The appropriately re-titled, Kyuss Lives did indeed tour Europe and was such a sold-out success that the demand snowballed to Earth size. But Bjork has decided to return to his most beloved passion, his solo music. Hotel Great Northern on Saturday.
Real Mañana
Mañana is a fresh new musical act skyrocketing up from the grassroots level of the west coast music scene.
Mañana’s music is a unique blend of pop, reggae and folk, creating a natural sound that is ear pleasing to literally anyone.
Mañana have shared the stage with bands such as The Crooked Fiddle Band, Afenginn (Denmark), Bobby Alu and Caravãna Sun.
Mañana are quickly building a name for themselves as a musical act not to be missed or ignored. Mañana are Tom Kitchener on lead vocals and guitar, Max Avigdor on lead guitar and vocals, Matt Butler on bass and Louis Fairbrother on drums.
Friday at the Byron Brewery. 8pm. Free entry.
Bourbon on Brunswick
North coast rock band Bourbon Street will be playing the Brunswick Heads Bowling Club on Saturday at 8pm.
Having re-formed in November last year after being invited to play at the Airlie Beach Music Festival, Bourbon Street have been inundated with requests to play local venues where the band originally cut its teeth back in the 80s.
Bourbon Street guitarist Horace Bevan said the band are looking forward to rocking the Bruns Bowlo and invite all 70s rock fans to come and join the party.
Bourbon Street are presently rehearsing and recording new material for a fifth album and hope to have the album released in early 2015.
Music Open Day
The Northern Rivers Conservatorium annual Open Day is scheduled for this Saturday and will be showcasing the full range of music education on offer the Conservatorium, ranging from early childhood music all the way through to a diploma of music.
The action starts at 10am with the opportunity to ‘try on’ a range of musical instruments with the help of our expert tutors in piano, voice, brass, woodwind, strings and drums.
You can take a tour of the building, record your own CD in our recording studio and sit in on open rehearsals. Little ones can bring their mums and dads along to an early childhood music class at 10.30. If you’re interested in a career in the music industry, an academy information session with our head of Academy Music will run at 10am.
To find out more, come to Open Day 10am–2pm or call the Conservatorium on 6621 2266. Full program details are available at on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/northernrivers.conservatorium.
Jezzie and Billi
This Sunday sees the return of Jezabels Fortune to the Billinudgel Hotel.
The band will be playing music ranging from soul and blues to rock! Featuring the talents of award-winning vocalists Lyne Davis, guitarist Geoff Wright who has played with a long list of people including Tina Turner and JJ Cale. On bass guitar is Johnny Harris.
Johnny puts the fun in funky and is best known for his stint with the remains. On piano is well-known local musician Grant Robertson, who has played with many bands including original bands such as the Hunting Party, which had Grant on drums and Lyne Davis on vocals; on drums is Lenny Riley (Bourbon Street). 3pm kick off!
A Situation
Last year Andrew Morris unveiled his sixth solo release The Situationist and has subsequently toured the east coast through the latter part of last year.
Inspired by Tom Hodgkinson’s counter-consumer culture manifesto How To Be Free, Morris summoned as many of the members of The Gin Club as he could muster and put on the beers at his newly set-up northern rivers home studio.
The Situationist is what ensued, a collection of warm and spontaneous gems. Reflecting his current solo shows, The Situationist includes live favourites such as Dylan’s It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry, Gillian Welch’s Look At Miss Ohio and Tim Rogers’s (You Am I) Heavy Heart.
He creates a whole new Situation at the Sheoak Shack in Fingal Head on Saturday.
Camels Wot Sing
The Camel Tones return to the Billi Pub this Friday with their brand of tha funk ’n’ soul rhythm and blues from Al Green to Willie Dixon and beyond, so come on down to the front bar at the Billi and see guitarist and vocalist the one and only Geoff Wright, the man himself on bass, Mr Ric Crothal, on the drums the mighty Pete (Garter) Wilkins, and also on guitar ’n’ vox Tim Longworth doin’ their thang! 8pm.
Jazz on Caxton
This Sunday the Lismore Jazz Club present the Caxton Street Jazz Band at the Lismore City Bowling Club. The Caxton Street Jazz Band, now in its 37th year, presents hot, swinging jazz in a manner than elicits enthusiastic responses from listening and/or dancing audiences.
The band includes some of Australia’s leading jazz players in their idiom, and not only appeals to jazz aficionados, but also to the general public at large.
The band’s ability to stay true to its roots, while still being able to entertain, is testament to the quality of the music and musicians, and shows that traditional jazz can have a wide public appeal when performed in the manner of the Caxton Street Jazz Band.
While the band’s roots are firmly planted in the hot jazz of the early 1900s, many other influences are represented in its output. These include big-band swing, mainstream jazz, folk, country, rhythm and blues and popular music of the 30s, 40s and 50s. The band sets out to give this music a fresh new edge that appeals to today’s audiences.
The variety of its repertoire has been a contributor to the band’s unprecedented popularity in recent years, with demand for performances coming from jazz festivals, jazz clubs and private functions throughout Queensland, and northern and central coast New South Wales. Admission is $10 for members and students and $15 for non-members. Schoolchildren free.
So Shy
Shybaby is often cheeky, occasionally sassy and sometimes downright dirty but one thing is guaranteed – they will rock. Showcasing carefully selected covers that span eras and genres (think Janis Joplin to Pink via Iggy Pop and Aerosmith), these four rock ’n’ roll compadres deliver a polished, high-energy show big on audience interaction and party fun as they pump out some of the coolest hits of all time. They play Club Lennox on Saturday from 7.30pm.
Comp in the Middle
The Middle Pub will be running a band competition on Saturdays in July this year with the winner earning a fully endorsed and promoted performance slot in the Mullum Music Festival (+ 3-day tickets for members of the winning band). While the competition will be open to all ‘original’ bands, it will be promoted heavily to Byron schools and youth associations to give opportunity to some of the great young talent in the shire, with prizes from SAE including a recording package. Heats on Saturdays 5, 12 and 19 July and the final on 2 August. For details go to www.facebook.com/middlepub/events/bc14 or grab an info sheet at the Middle.
Chillin’ Out
Chilled Preston return to Cabarita Sports Club this Friday with a new member, well kind of. As Ian Rowe has decided to have an extended break, Marcus Rainford, who was the original guitarist with Terry Perkins, is now back in the fold.
Marcus used to play in Caboose band and duo and, most recently, with Preston Train. The duo will perform their interpretations of tunes from artists ranging from Ben Harper, Powderfinger, and Foo Fighters through to some classic Rolling Stones, Chris Isaak and U2.
Mr James
Leigh James sings and plays with a passion, straight from the heart. Gaining experience on the streets and cafes of Australia’s cities, Leigh studied his craft by listening to more pop/folk like James Taylor, and earning dues playing Oz pub rock, covers and originals in an assortment of lineups in the early 80s joining a world music band Funjungle with friends in Cairns, North Queensland.
With four Dolphin Awards to his credit, for funk, pop, gospel, and country, Leigh James has supported/backed Shane Howard, Graeme Connors, Kate Ceberano, The Black Sorrows, James Morrison, Renee Geyer, Marcia Hines and Brian Cadd to name a few!
Since 2006, Leigh has pooled live arrangements of the best of James Taylor’s live concerts for the last 20 years and produced a tribute to James Taylor and featuring a gorgeous eight-piece band. Leigh has been performing for more than 27 years.
Leigh’s stage experience includes concert stages, festivals, restaurants, bars, clubs and cruise ships throughout Australia.
Leigh’s songlists vary from Jason Mraz to Eagles, Pete Murray to Frank Sinatra and from Seal to James Taylor, among many other styles. At the Eltham Hotel on Sunday.
