Big Sound Live - Fortitude Valley - 8 September 2010

Big Sound pass: Check.

Sensible shoes: Check.

Timetable: Check.

First up tonight is The Honey Month at The Troubadour. Looking VERY fresh faced, if not a little nervous, they epitomise versatility with no band member, aside from the drummer, holding onto the same instrument for more than a couple of songs. An accordion even makes an appearance. AN ACCORDIAN! Heavy on the acoustic and embracing powerful harmonies, the most surprising thing about this folky Brisbane 5-piece is their very un-folky pulsating energy that has the crowd bopping along.

Not so much a lane as a tiny back alley carpark, it’s off to the Bakery Lane stage for The Cairos. Playing a confident set of straight indie rock with bouncy pop undertones and British India drum vibes, not even a full power outage mid-show dampens the spirits of those in attendance.

It’s back to The Troubadour for Central Coast singer-songwriter Daniel Lee Kendall, whose sweet acoustic pop has manager Rae Harvey, along with a three quarter full venue, grinning like a proud parent in the front row. A gentle interlude in a night dominated by ‘guitar and drum’ bands, it’s the gloriously cheery and smile-inducing Lost In The Moment that puts everyone in high spirits.

Starting a little late and playing to a relatively small crowd at The Club House are Disco Nap. Jumping between very danceable keyboard-embracing pop and some more melancholy numbers, there’s something undeniably “90’s” about their music. A mass desertion of the crowd mid-set clearly affects the band’s enthusiasm and doesn’t give those who remained much reason to stay, which was a real shame.

A quick trip back to the Bakery Lane Stage for The Vasco Era uncovers the first actively dancing crowd of the night. Gritty and brazen, this Melbournian three piece deliver an absolutely pumping performance that proves dual vocals have a place within rock.

Clearly the crowd favourite, there’s standing room only at The Troubadour for Sydney band The Jezabels. Here follows a solid set of respectable indie pop to excite the adoring masses, with the vocals of frontwoman Hayley Mary, on tracks such as Hurt Me and Be A Star, the clear standout feature of the performance.

Big Sound Live - Fortitude Valley - 9 September 2010

Taking the stage at the Artisan Gallery, delightfully armed with giant party poppers, is tonight’s first band, Sydneysiders Richard In Your Mind. Playing to a modest crowd of mostly industry types, RIYM are a little bit pop, a little bit rock, a little bit psychedelic, a little bit reggae and definitely more than a little entertaining. 

It’s a tight squeeze at The Troubadour for the extraordinarily tight Big Scary, who manage to sound more like a five piece than a duo. Not afraid to switch it up between genres, they move effortlessly from heavier, punk-influenced tracks to the gently harmonious pop brilliance of Triple J favourite Autumn.

Like angry bastard children of The White Stripes and Kings of Leon, New Zealand’s The Checks quickly make their presence known. Peddling some impressively passionate and raw, guitar-driven rock, the intimacy of The Troubadour is the perfect backdrop for the growling vocals of front man Edward Knowles.

Catching only a couple of songs of Ernest Ellis at the Artisan Gallery Stage, one particular word springs to mind: intensity.

Young Brisbane charmers Ball Park Music, playing at The Club House, inject unbridled energy into every second of their live show. Maturing as performers with every gig they play, their particular brand of eclectic pop rock, with a trombone thrown in for good measure, gets the crowd, young and old, dancing and cheering with delight.

Catching only the last song of Children Collide’s set, a particularly raucous rendition of Social Currency, it’s surprising to find The Troubadour only about three quarters full. Loud and attention grabbing, it’s everything that is great about their recorded material and so much more.

Under any other circumstances, playing sardines in the front bar at Ric’s would hardly make for a fun experience. Deep Sea Arcade take the suffocating lack of space in their stride as they cram onto the tiny stage and enchant those lucky enough to make it inside the door with their jangly yet chilled, nostalgia-filled pop.

After forming a band in May 2006 for a charity benefit for the West End Community House, Chocolate Stings have been doing the rounds of the local Brisbane music scene, going from playing small intimate gigs in underground bars to gaining a huge local following, radio play on Triple J, and regular spots at the Woodford Folk Festival. The heart and soul of the band is lead singer Ofa Fanaika.

She greets me with a smile and a wave and upon sitting down there is an immediate sense of relaxation. She chats away with genuine interest about the goings on around the highly eclectic and unique environment of West End, and it become clear that not only does she live here, work here and perform here; she also loves being a part of the closer-than-average community that is the modern West End.

“West End is more than a suburb, a place to eat or go out. It’s a thriving community in the heart of an ever expanding and commercialised city,” she says.

“People really care about each other around here, and that promotes a positive environment that will naturally attract the open minded, the creative, and the generally ‘out-there’ people of Brisbane.

“It’s a great place to live,” she says with a beaming smile.   

She appears as the epitome of the modern creative artist, sitting relaxed with a cup of tea, cigarette in hand, a colourful ensemble of vintage clothes, and a cool relaxed persona. I ask her what her name means, and she tells me it is the word for “love” in her native Tongan. In her calm and friendly manner, her interactions with her band mates, and by the way that the crowd reacted to her the previous night, I am sure that there is truly an abundance of it in her life.

After witnessing a fresh mix of inspired reggae, deep southern blue grass roots, and what could only be described as James Brown influenced funk, along with a number solo acoustic numbers that left the entire crowd in silent awe until the roar of applause after the final note, I was left highly impressed, but just a little unsure of exactly what genre the Chocolate Strings were aiming for.

“Coming from a Polynesian background, I grew up listening to a lot of chilled-out reggae as a kid.”

“I bring a lot of that kind of sound to the grooves we work on in our music. Then, growing up in San Francisco and moving to Brisbane allowed me to gain other influences such as soul, jazz, and hip-hop, so our music is a wide blend of genres.”

While her bands chilled-out tunes radiate with the laid-back vibe of a summer’s day, Ofa and her band mates also actively use their music to support social and environmental awareness.

“I wouldn't say that we really have much of a social or environmental theme to our music,” Fanaika says, “but that's where we are at as people.”

“We'll use the music for this purpose, like helping to organise and play at tree-planting festivals and charity gigs like the Black and White Unite fundraiser for West End Community House that we formed the band for.”

As well a long list of originals that span many genres, Chocolate Strings have been known to throw some unexpected covers into their live sets, including Nirvana's ‘Heart Shaped Box’, a classic heavy grunge anthem that is totally reworked to a soulful ballad.

“I used to play a lot of pub-type gigs playing covers,” Fanaika explains. “The covers I would play were never exactly the way the artist intentionally wrote them.

“I would always try and add a spin to it. We normally play our originals but we have a couple of covers that we really enjoy playing so if the mood's right we'll throw them in.”

When asked about the future, she states that the band does not seek fame and fortune, just to be able to create inspiring and uplifting music for their fans, and to make a difference where they can.

“So many people get into music for superficial reasons these days.”

“While we want to sell records, and be able to make a decent living as professional musicians, there is so much more to life than the bottom line or the dollar,” and by the way she says it, you just know that she believes this with all her heart.

Gold Coast hardcore bands are threatened by lack of venues and support, due to a shortage of suitable  venues willing to host underage events.

Lead singer of local band, Promises, Zachary Duncalfe, believes there is a shortage of alcohol free venues for all ages shows.

“It’s difficult for bands to play all ages shows when the main venues on the coast are bars and clubs.

"We have to search high and low for a hall to allow our type of music to be played there,” he said.

Burn with Me guitarist, Scott Moir, said the lack of support for the hardcore genre has also discouraged many new hardcore bands.

“There is definitely a lot more support for bands that are rock, pop or indie.

“The general outlook of people is that they would rather listen to rock because hardcore is just screaming and they find it hard to relate,” he said.

Gold Coast Music Industry Association (GCMIA), who aims to promote, support and develop musicians on the Gold Coast, provides numerous opportunities for bands and artists.

“With the combination of GCMIA, the council, and what the art centre is doing, there are numerous opportunities for artists that are just starting out,” said GCMIA president and Who Agencies director Dan Ceh.

Mr Ceh says the Gold Coast needs a variety of music associations that differ in nature to help educate and develop the music industry.

“We need to initiate in the younger generation that music is a privilege to go out and see and to create a desire for them to go out and see that,” he said.

There is also a need for more support from the general public, with musicians relying on local support in the area.

“Come to more shows and support the bands, they’re only 10 or 15 dollars, just come and help us out,” Moir said.

Grant Collins has teamed up with Education Queensland and Queensland Arts Council to bring the joy of music and performance to students from the Gold Coast to Rockhampton.

Just in from Europe, where he toured Estonia, France and Barcelona for three weeks, Grant is spending the next six weeks with Ontour Inschools to bring his fully interactive music workshop, Be the Beat, to as many students as possible.

Susie Farrell, Youth Arts Engagement Officer for Queensland Arts Council is proud to be part of a project that brings high quality educational workshops to some of Queensland’s remote communities.

“The idea behind Ontour Inschools is to make the arts accessible to all students, no matter where they’re located,” she said.

Students participating in Be the Beat will work in groups to learn a variety of dance rhythms and musical styles. 

The goals are to build self-confidence, encourage cooperation and physical activity, and to develop appreciation for all types of music in young people.

Collins is rare talent—he uses all four limbs when making music. 

Internationally acclaimed for his drumming, Collins' eighty-piece drum set is instantly recognisable and practically a work of art itself.  He is considered one of the most innovative musicians in the world.

Among other projects which include revolutionising modern music for the past 22 years, Collins is a lifelong learner.  He’s currently working toward a PhD in composition.

“I guess it wasn’t something I needed to do, but I’m doing the degree because I love to learn.  I love sharing my ideas with people.

“I love the challenges I can give myself, especially the solo work,” he said.

Collins is very enthusiastic about working with students and giving them a chance to express themselves over the next several weeks.

“Music is important for team building, [musicians] work together and support each other,

"Of course, music is also for celebration!” Collins said.

Be the Beat is all about building confidence.  The fully interactive workshop focuses on South American drum beats and simple dance rhythms—mainly bossa nova and samba—which could be either more complex or simple depending on the group he’s with on the day, making the program fun for all ages and abilities.

“I work with primary-aged kids all the way through high school, and it’s different every time.  Some schools are huge, so the workshop has hundreds of kids—and that’s really powerful—I was at a school that only had twenty kids!  It’s a blast either way,

“I’m working with a few groups of special needs kids as well, and they love it too!”  Collins said.

Collins has always had an affinity for the beat.  Back when he was immersed in musical study at uni, he was not at all put off by the fact that many people, academics included, seem to overlook the versatility and musical value of the drum. 

These days, that intuition is his calling card.

“The drum set can be a serious instrument on the world stage. 

"It has rhythm, pitch, tone and timbres, like any other instrument,

“It’s an old way of thinking, but still even [music] academics think that anyone can go and bang away on a drum set,” Collins said.

In a way, he believes the old ways himself—he recognises that rhythm and beat, which is not only the backbone of most pieces of music, is the core of what it means to be alive. 

Drumming is a multi-sensory experience, he says.

“Drums are the oldest instrument in the world! 

"It’s just ingrained in people—the whole body is made of rhythms, pulses, your heartbeat!”  Collins said.

The workshop also includes a solo performance, where Grant pulls out a smaller version of his mega drum set to show the kids some more complex beats — he’ll have them dancing for days.