The four LP’s that introduced me to the Blues
By Robin Jones, BASEQ President In about 1972, when I was 14, an older friend, who had been to university and played harp with a uni band called Climax Chicago, started going on about “the Blues”. To give me an idea of what he was talking about he produced three LP’s from his smallish collection. When ever at his place we listened to these three records almost constantly. Although I was not that aware of it at the time these three LP’s and one other, would [...]
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on Sunday the 25th of September 2022
Can you lend us a hand to keep our association alive and growing? The Blues Association of South East Qld warmly invites you to join us at our ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on Sunday the 25th of September 2022 at 11 am at The Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna. Have you thought of playing a more active part in promoting Blues music? It may surprise you to know that even 2 or 3 hours of your time per month can have a big impact! BASEQ is a totally [...]
Review of River Heads Rocks Festival 2022.
Review and photos by Donna Hourigan An easy three and a half hour drive north of Brisbane brings you to the gates of Fraser Coast RV Park, the site of a new and exciting music calendar event, the ‘River Heads Rocks Festival’. Think early Mitchell Creek Rock ’n' Blues Fest, intimate, community driven, committed to supporting local artists and the discovery of new talent. The festival first launched in 2021 with a lineup featuring EightBall Aitken, The Rolling Stones Experience and The Miz Bully Band. June [...]
More Bunyips On The Loose (Part 2 of a sort of series).
The Bunyip Guitars Story continued. Bunyip guitars were displayed at Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2020, and we plan to return in 2023. Covid having made horrible inroads in the in between years. The return has been in planning for some time including discussions with the Oxley Bowling Club and a group of associates. Anyone who is going to Tamworth please be in touch as there are possibilities being given to me for paying gigs down there at the time. Bunyip Guitars Stall at Tamworth [...]
Bunyip Guitars – Home Grown monsters!
(Editor note: Local luthier Scoey gave a quick run down on the innovative guitars he is producing. These aren't fairy stories... Scoey writes, as only he can in his colourful turn of phrase...). I was having a yarn with the BASEQ editor the other day at BASEQ jam and he said I should put some things about Bunyip guitars on paper for post hole digging's sake or something like that. So very briefly. I worked for Fender and then Gibson last century before wandering off to become a [...]
Bender – Not the cartoon robot!
(Guitar Technical, one in an occasional series by Ross "Scoey" Colledge) While "benders" are mainly used by country players to replicate a pedal steel sound of sliding from one note to another, David Thompson recently displayed that a bender in the hands of a skilled guitarist can really do great things in the blues (it's a pity I don't have a youtube video of the event to give a link ... but if you see David Thompson playing somewhere, check him out). So what is a bender, [...]
Vix And The Slick Chix Go To War!
So ... you know the blues trio of Vix and The Slick Chix, and Vix's backstory involving Wiley Reed? Well .... forgive the pointlessness of doing a theatre review of a show that you've missed, but this was the second "outing" of "A Girls Guide To World War" ... and if good fortune smile on the troupe that put it on, you may get another chance. The trio of Vix and the Slick Chix feature promently in this production. Aleathea Monsour (bass in the 'Chix and [...]
photo’s from October 2021 BASEQ Jam
Photos generously supplied by Dale Smith. For high-resolution version, contact Dale at dale@cix.com.au
Presidents Pen – Barry B Signing Off.
So, I'm sitting in the Mt Glorious Cafe, with blues playing over their sound system, after a quick mid-week blast up the twisties (refresh skillz!), writing what will be my last Presidents' Pen, reflecting back on my involvement of BASEQ over many years. It was my good friend, Jules Victor (former BASEQ president), that urged me at the time to "upsize" my BASEQ membership to be part of the committee, as part of a larger effort to "restablise" BASEQ, and get back to it's mission after almost being [...]
New Album Review – Craig Claxton – “Azure Blue”
Craig Claxton and the Barbarians "And here is someone that needs no introduction" For the local blues scene, that fits Craig Claxton to a tee. But for those that might not know, Craig has been a professional Australian musician and talented guitarist from an early age, now with a career spanning decades. Want to find out more? Go here: Bio | Craig Claxton And just like some of his older local contemporaries like the late great Ewan MacKenzie, has mastered many styles, notably rock, [...]
Local Musician In Conversation – Simon Worlo Paying Homage to his Heroes.
Simon Worlo has been a regular down The Colonel [1] jams for many years, originally starting on bass before moving to singing and playing guitar. It comes to no surprise for Simon to have a strong affinity to the early electric blues era from the late 1940s and early 1950s, which he delivers as "Simon Worlo & The Colonel", or with Trev Gollagher as "The King Tones". Trev, Simon and The Colonel "Muddy Waters first caught my ear. Through research and listening I [...]
Back In The Day – Perspectives From The Front Row
(in this months installment of "Back In The Day", long-time BASEQ supporter Mick Power arranged an article from an enthusiastic audience member at the time, Maggie deKort, to share her experiences) People say to me “don’t you hate being your age” no way if I wasn’t this age I would never have gone through the best music years ever, and this is where it all started for me! I was only 12 years old when I heard Love Me Do on the radio, The Beatles, saw [...]
Vintage Electric Guitars: Are they all they are cracked up to be? (by Dale Robbins)
What defines whether a guitar is collectible? Is it the sentimentality of one of the classic designs from a bygone era that was used by great musicians of the past? Ie. Jimi Hendrix’s Fender, Jimmy Pages’ Les Paul… Is it the superior sound that old guitars possess? Is it because they aren’t “made that way” anymore? Is it because they easier to play? Down the biggest rabbit hole of all guitardom we go! … And the answer is…. It’s a very subjective issue but Vintage guitars [...]
Back In The Day – Brisbane Music Scene in the 60’s and early 70’s.
Mick Power Remembers: My life in Music really started at the age of 15 years after running away from Boarding School at St Brendan’s in Yeppoon. At the beginning of the second Term, I took off across the Pineapple Farms and managed to hitch a ride in an old beatup FJ Holden back to Brisbane. I did have a musical background from the age of 8 years learning Piano, Piano Accordion, and Vocal training gained from my schooling days in Private Colleges. My first gig was [...]
DJ Reckless Robin – Blues and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Bear with me, this post is going to take you along for a ride... unfolding pun intended ... So, recently I had the good fortune to attend a motorcycle rally with, what turned out to be, 527 other kindred spirits... most adhering to the mantra of "I'd rather ride than polish". The rally site is in a very scenic spot between Stanthorpe and Tenterfield, on the banks of a river. Honestly, you couldn't have picked a better spot, a fitting destination from enjoying some great - [...]
Back In The Day: Fords Music Store and Home Grown Amplification
By Tony De Caria and Les FORDS BLUES CONNECTION Now that I think of it all these years later, Fords was destined to have a heavy blues influence many years before I got there. The Purple Hearts had completely blown away three kids at a venue across the road in Stanley St. called “The Bowl”. We had been having guitar lessons for some months and had at the time become rather bored with Shadows instrumentals and the top 40 hits played by the resident bands, finding [...]
Azure Blue CD Review
Azure Blue CD by Craig Claxton CD Review by Tracey Hammell Craig Claxton made excellent use of his time in lockdown during the shift into the “new normal” by writing and recording his first solo album, Azure Blue. Craig Claxton and his fabulous rhythm section ... sometimes known as The Barbarians at the Azure Blue Album preview. L-R Craig Claxton (guitar & vox), John Postlethwaite (dums), Kevin Howard (bass), Brendan St Ledger (keyboards). "It was so much fun to do ... I [...]
Back In The Day – Fords Music Store – Mal Stevens Remembers
BACK IN THE DAY… Intro from MICK POWER Greetings Fellow BASEQ Members and welcome to our second edition of “BACK IN THE DAY” This month we start a two series edition on the history of one of Brisbane’s go to music stores “FORDS MUSIC” Woolloongabba. We discover the main personnel behind this iconic institution and the impact it made on so many upcoming musicians of the day. As an introduction, we hear from the main man behind Fords Music Mal Stevens and, while reading his account of [...]
The “Secret Sauce” from the BBFactory: New Album – Track By Track
So I heard that BBFactory had recorded a new live album and were getting ready to release it with a series of album launches... ... and I harassed and harangued Pedro for more info on it, that "Secret Sauce", as it were, of the album Pedro and Jackson, BBFactory (photo by Dianne Haistie) But first, the BBFactory story so far: ... the band has already released their highly regarded ‘First World Blues’ and ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ albums ( the latter is a live [...]
Back In The Day … Keith “Stretch” Kerwin Remembers.
Hi Folks, this is basically the remnants of memories about the early days of the Brisbane music scene from individual personal perspectives .. and for all intents and purposes concentrating more towards the 'Blues' scenario. My name's Keith Kerwin but possibly more Sanctuary - L-R Mal Logan, Barry Sullivan, Keith "Stretch" Kerwin and Adrian Payne [drums] well known via my nickname 'Stretch'. I was born and raised in Coorparoo, Brisbane, in May, 1949 ... so that makes me approaching my 72nd birthday. I'm the youngest [...]
Back in the Day… Introduction by Mick Power
Welcome to a new series titled “Back In The Day” as we go down memory lane in Brisbane, North / South Coast regions and give us some unusual info that happened in the day, covering from 1950 – to say 1980’s. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Mick Power and I am one third of “The GrooveMasters”. I grew up in Brisbane and from the mid 60’s I was involved in the music business here in South East Qld and in [...]
What happens behind the scenes: BASEQ Jams at the Royal Mail
I wrote the following to help a very new committee member get up to speed on what happens at a BASEQ jam when it is held at the Royal Mail Hotel Goodna on the last Sunday of the month (except Dec: Xmas/NYE, and Jan: too close to Australia day events at the Royal Mail). I've also expanded on some of the points. 12noon - the host band starts to arrive for setup and hopefully a quick soundcheck. At the time of writing, the Royal Mail provides a [...]
AGM Minutes – Yearly Report, election of new committee, etc
BASEQ_AGM_Minutes_251020 (MS Word format)
Hot Days for Scorching Dezzie D and the Stingrays
Dezzie D and the Stingrays are just about to drop another new release, full of danceable and interesting swing and jump blues tunes. But how did that happen? Congrats on your second release. The "followup" seems to be the hardest for artists to be satisfied with, while debut releases have been years in the gestation. Are these originals or reinterpretations of classics? Was there a theme or common ideas running through the songs? The process of selecting songs to make the cut for our second album was [...]