Pro Guitar & Sound

The Rock 'n Cafe {home of Pro Guitar & Sound} has held its official Opening Celebrations, fittingly on Australia Day !

Some great performers, including Phil Emmanuel, Smokin' Joe Robinson, Steve Edmonds, Stu Marshall, Ella Freestone,  Jesse Emmanuel, the Floorboards and Anno Domini were on hand throughout the day to support the new guitar and quality gear shop in Hornsby. 

 

 

Click on the thumbnail in the sidebar to see the photos of the celebrations.

Here are some of the other artists helping to celebrate the best guitar, drums, keyboards, PA and amps store in Sydney - manned by real musicians and current performers.

Here's Stu Marshall of Empires of Eden - guitarist and songwriter best known as a member of Dungeon for four and a half years and now the leader of Paindivision. Apart from these bands he also played on the album Fear No Decay by Japanese band Cerberus. In late 2007 he released a solo album entitled Altered States.

 

A bluesy set was played by the Steve Edmonds Band  - Steve has played guitar for  Jimmy Barnes, Renee Geyer, Richard Clapton, Matt Taylor,  The Australian Idol Band, Shannon Noll and Delta Goodrem.

 

The delighful Ella Freestone played in the lounge - this 18 year old from Manley has a lot of promise and talent ..

 

 

Down from Coffs Harbour and with quite a dynasty of talent in her forebears and rellies, Jesse  Emmanuel reckoned it was more fun playing and singing in Hornsby than spending Australia Day getting wiped on the beach ... she was terrific .. loved that green Fender acoustic !

 

... and then there was Joe Robinson .. for a young lad, this winner of the Australia'a Got Talent 2008 has played at a lot of places including London, New York, Helsinki, Budapest, Sydney, Berlin, Milan, Vienna, Bangkok, Rome and Amsterdam.

 

Finally, there was a the great wall of sound from Anno Domini ... striving for the death metal gong in Australia, like Dred, Templestowe,  Aeon of Horus and I guess the famous Behemoth from Poland ... just the job for Hornsby on a hot Australia Day arvo

On New Year's Eve 2010, I was delighted to shoot  Kate Miller-Heidke. 

Here is  Johnny Wishbone from the ever-so-colourful and disrespectful Snowdroppers.

 

 

... and here she is, star of TV's Spicks 'n Specks, Megan Washington performing with her great band Washington at The Bellbird, where I shot her for Home Brew Radio ...

 

 

 ... you may recognise both Martin Rotsey and that battered Fender Jazzmaster from Midnight Oil, now reformed after pointing Peter at the Parliament, as The Break ... wipeout, halfway between  The Chantays and the Beachboys .. which I guess is where The Oils started, in surfrock.  

 

 

 

 

.. and Ella Freestone, 18 and as talented as she is delightful, at Pro Guitar and Sound where you can buy the best guitars and gear in Sydney from the people who play them ...

 

 

At Thompsons Square Gardens, I shot the legendary Kevin Borich ...

I was lucky to find  bassist Suzie Bambach (pictured) and Ellie Plummer (daughter of well-known festival photographer Noel Plummer) from Paul Greene and The Other Colours at the Illawarra Festival.  

 

.. - and here's Phil Eammanuel at the opening of Pro Guitar & Music in Hornsby

 
  

.. adding some glam, Phoebe Juskevics on the drums and tinkle for Adam Hole & Marji Curran Band at the Fitzroy Hotel

 

... and in the blue light, Jan Rynsaardt of my fave rave band of the moment, Chase The Sun at The Macquarie Arms ... one of the best bands in Sydney .. get out and see them

One of the very best acts at the Peats Ridge Festival was Love in the Circus.

Strange and eerie, fronted by the sultry Leanna Rachel, who also swings a big bass, this is a hybrid act with a lot of front including dancers and bizarre presentation. To me, the band sounds like The Motels, sprinkled with Sade.  I like this stuff.

The music is a sort of gentle soul {like Martha Davis' Total Control} within a multi media performance. Regan Remy, on the harp {see her in the photos in the album in the sidebar}, creates a bizarre sight and sounds, with her great makeup and mask - and then there is troupe "Tuju Taksu" dancing around - plus trumpeter Johan Asplund. Excellent.

 

 

... and here's the Delta Riggs,  performing at The Underworld, led by the oh-so-colourful, smoking brave, Elliott Hammond

 

.. more photos as they happen by going to the individual band photo albums listed in alphabetical order in the sidebar.

Illawarra Folk Festival

I was down the south coast at the weekend .. great drive .. to shoot the festival at Thirroul, at the bottom of the Bulli Pass.  Click here to see images of the Illawarra Folk Festival.

To whet your appetite, here's Ami Williamson, doing her famous "Boil the Bunny" stunt while singing "Woman in Love" - great stuff ... she is just terrific ..

Love in the Circus

One of the very best acts at the Peats Ridge Festival was Love in the Circus.

Strange and eerie, fronted by the sultry Leanna Rachel, who also swings a big bass, this is a hybrid act with a lot of front including dancers and bizarre presentation. To me, the band sounds like The Motels, sprinkled with Sade.  I like this stuff.

The music is a sort of gentle soul {like Martha Davis' Total Control} within a multi media performance. Regan Remy, on the harp {see her in the photos in the album in the sidebar}, creates a bizarre sight and sounds, with her great makeup and mask - and then there is troupe "Tuju Taksu" dancing around - plus trumpeter Johan Asplund. Excellent.

Chase The Sun

One of the best bands I have seen this year is Chase The Sun.  I have seen them a couple of times, firstly at The Sydney Blues Festival in Windsor and again at the Peats Ridge Festival.  In the sidebar you will see two albums of photographs, one from each occasion. They are a tops, all-round band of fine musicians.

 

Above, Chase The Sun, appearing Thursday with a cracking opening set mid afternoon.

Jan Rynsaardt leads this powerhouse trio - with top bass player Ryan Van Gennip and drummer Jon ?Howler? Howell.  Excellent.  I will go and see them at any opportunity, one of Australia's best bands.

The Break

Give me The Break !   I love this band and their music.  It's sort of Duane Eddy with the Beachboys, a bit of Jet Harris - and is of course the guts of Midnight Oil - without Peter Garrett and with a new, driving bass player - and I am sure they have a Theremin. 

Maybe The Oils always had one, I dunno, but I have never seen one on stage before.  Here it is ...

If you don't know what a Theremin sounds like, watch Midsomer Murders on TV;  it's the instrument that plays the theme tune over the credits and intro. You just waft your hand near the aerial and it produces this wavering sound. Spooky. ... the Beachboys were using a Tannerin on Good Vibrations, not a Theremin. 

Washington

Now, here is a top performer ...an artist.  Megan Washington.  An individualist.  I have never seen anything like this.  An accomplished musician, writer and leader of her band.
 

I immediately liked Megan Washington - because she sings and plays with a feisty individuality and talent.  I thought she was brilliant and a breath of fresh doo-dah after some of the other stuff I have been listening to.

Full-on, no bollocks, no punches pulled; saying it how she sees it.  Sure some numbers carry a few riffs but it's not you know, pop;  she reminded me of Billie Holiday the first time I heard "Strange Fruit". Luved her. 

I felt quite gutted when she had finished, I guess because although I was crawling all over the stage with my camera, trying not to trip over amps and wiring, I was captured by her music.  Ever tried taking a great shot when yer fingers are popping, you can't keep still and yer feet start a-movin' around ?