Graeme Druce (Doggn It) on Guitar
Dark rooms, good food, and warm sounds: you can’t beat Thredbo at Music Festival time!
Once again, Thredbo, that little village, high – ok, so it is only 1365m, but in Australia, that is high – in the Australian Alps, has dished up some great festival music.
Cool blues in the January heat (Thredbo Blues Festival 2015) and hot traditional and contemporary jazz in the crisp Autumn air (Thredbo Jazz Festival 2015) make great excuses to get into Kosciuszko National Park. I’ve said it before: (Summer Blues; All that Jazz; Blues in Colour) I love music in the mountains!
The venues: outdoor verandahs at risk from wind and rain; restaurants with crowded tables and clanging cutlery; dark indoor spaces with glaring, streaming backlight from the bright afternoon sun; pubs with laughing conversations behind and bouncing dancers in front; all make for photographic challenges – but that is part of the fun.
Brody Young
The festivals start with the collection of a wrist band at the office – and a Yalumba wine tasting or three – on the Village Square.
Doggn It Blues Duo
From the Village Square, we move into the closest restaurant for good food, more wine, …
John Cupit on Harp
… and great sounds …
Doggn It
… as local groups play the blues the Aussie way.
Phil and Trudy Edgeley
We always try to take in a lunch performance at Eagles Nest (1937m) at the top of the chairlift; …
Merritts Nature Track
… it gives us such a good excuse to walk back down.
Trigger Plant (Stylidium montanum)
The flora along the trail provide a good excuse for a pause: this track was longer and steeper than I remembered.
Shaun Kirk
Back in the Village, one-man-powerhouse Shaun Kirk is filling the tiny courtyard at Berntis with wonderful, joyful sounds. People are standing and sitting wherever they can grab a space – I was hanging to a railing on a steep staircase to take this shot.
Rory Ellis with Andrew Toner
We were so blown away by Rory Ellis’ music and songs that we booked the dinner show – and bought a CD. I tried to upload a track for you, but the Mac won’t read it: think Jonny Cash meets Burl Ives.
Making Mojitos
The drinks were pretty good, too.
Mal Eastick and Milena Barrett
Back outside in the afternoon sunshine, guitars and voices wail.
Swamphouse
Meanwhile, in the Schuss Bar, it could be late night in Louisiana, as Swamphouse stomp out their “gutbucket boogie”.
Charlie A’Court
An absolute crowd-pleaser, visiting Canadian Charlie A’Court took up residence in the Lounge Bar.
Matt Burrows
It’s the stuff of fairy tales! Charlie A’Court was at Narooma’s Great Southern Blues Festival in October 2013, and on impulse, handed his guitar to a 16-year-old in the audience. That youngster, Matt Burrows, so impressed Charlie – and the audience – that he earned a spot at the Thredbo Blues (see: Guitar Kid Gets Dream Break) –
Matt Burrows with Charlie A’Court
– and back on stage with Charlie.
Andrea Marr
Singer-songwriter Andrea Marr chats to a fan …
Music: “Andrea Marr Play On/Off”
… as the music stands and the Funky Hitmen wait to introduce her …
Funky Hitmen Saxophone
… with bold, brassy sounds.
Russell Morris
An Australian icon and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) inductee, Russell Morris didn’t disappoint.
Rory Ellis with Andrew Toner
Dinner as the sun went down marked the end of our Blues…
Dixie Street Allstars
… but we were back in May for some Dixie jazz in the Autumn sun.
Piano: Sydney Latin Allstars
Belle Peppers
Making room for the band and their equipment, while fitting in the diners is a tricky balance, but the venues manage. Lunch at the Knickerbocker is always a treat; Liza Ohlback and the Belle Peppers were added seasoning.
Ali Penney
Sun streams over the hill behind her, as Ali Penney sings her heart out.
Keyim Ba
For a complete change of pace, we headed back to the Lounge Bar for an Australian-based West African band that had everyone up dancing.
Sibo Bangoura
Percussionist with joy and attitude, Sibo Bangoura had us all smiling with him …
Richard Adams
… as did Richard Adams of The Nairobi Trio – in a completely different way.
The Nairobi Trio
Why Nairobi? I don’t know – as they perform jazz standards and, to me, have a celtic + gypsy flavour.
Illya Szwec
We are plunged back into darkness for great sounds and excellent food, as we enjoy classic blues & roots music from Illya Szwec and his band, in the Cascades Restaurant.
This week, a FaceBook friend of mine posted a reference to a study claiming that, on average, people stop listening to new music at age 33 – to which my friend quipped: “33 1/3”.
I didn’t read the study, so I don’t know if “new music” meant new genres, young musicians, or just new takes on old standards. I don’t know who that study talked to, but I was well over 33 when my children were still at home exposing me to their “new music”. Granted, I didn’t love all of it. But, I listened.
Now, I get annual doses of it at local music festivals.
And, I love it as much as I did when I was 33.
🙂
Keep Smiling!
Pictures: 16-18January2015 and 02May2015
[…] favourites, Rory Ellis, was performing. We enjoyed him at Thredbo Bluesfest several years ago (see: Cool Blues, Hot Jazz) and were thrilled when we heard he was back – and especially excited when he replayed one of […]