What's been happening...
January 2012
Happy New Year folks! Hope everyone had a lovely festive season and is peacefully settling into 2012.
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Well - exciting news! I have a new CD at last - just me and a Steinway. Gorgeous instrument (sigh...) Did it over the Xmas/NY break (mad - I know...) in just 5 days (gotta be some kind of record - pardon the pun). The artwork took a few days longer - but that was just me being fussy with the graphic designer - just as well I know her pretty well (ha ha...) As you can see, the album is called Shades of Blue and it has some new originals on it plus a few of my favourite jazz and folk standards...it's also got some "Tracey art" (of course) and I launched it at Newstead Festival on the Australia Day weekend. Great festival. One of my favourites. So just thought I'd let you know that I finally got myself into the recording studio again and man it felt good to be back! I'm looking forward to promoting this one - shall keep you posted with more info soon. |
November - December 2011
Another great gig at Burrinja with the trio - new songs and great musos...thanks again everyone for all your help and involvment and support...
Recording another CD (at last) on a beautiful Steinway Grand Piano down at Baker St Recording Studios...it sounds just delicious...so nice to play a piano like that. I'm looking at releasing the CD (entitled Shades of Blue) mid-January 2012 and launching it at Newstead Festival on the Australia Day weekend. I also have a lovely gig coming up at the end of February (26th) at the Penny School Gallery in Maldon so that will be a great concert as they have a grand piano there as well - lovely! The perfect venue to play all the new piano songs off the new album. Really looking forward to that one!
September - October 2011
Been doing a few fun gigs with the Brew Crew down at Burrinja (the last one was quite the party!) and also did a lovely gig at Selby Folk Club with Alive and Gigging ( my Grandma even came along to that one - very special! She's 91 and still driving. What an inspiration...)
The NO McDonald's in the Hills fundraiser gig was a successful night too - filled the joint again and had a rollicking good time. I went along to the packed-house council meeting actually on the 11th where I experienced first-hand, "people power" winning over the councillors (along with the amazing oratory skills of Cr Samantha Dunn - she deserves an Oscar for that performance I reckon - talk about being born to the role!). Unanimously the councillors decided to reject the application, largely (and quite legitimately in my opinion) based on the traffic congestion issues and the fact that McDonald's conceptually simply doesn't "fit" into the hills. So, probably onto VCAT now. Hopefully they'll listen to the arguments and reject the application as well. McDonald's is OK for the burbs - that's where they belong. Not up here.
Back to more artful stuff - I'm getting ready to do another little exhibition at a gorgeous cafe gallery in the hills called Kallista Tea Rooms - shall keep you posted about the opening night - Saturday 5th November - for a cocktail soiree!
Finished the newNorth Gallery exhibition (see my art page for more details or go to www.newnorth.com.au). A lovely time had by all at the opening, discussing the new pieces of art I have been consumed with over the past few months and giving folks a taste of some new songs that go with them for the next album. A great concert with Christina Green and Anthony Baker...and finally a casual, chatty closing drinks afternoon. Busy, joyful, creative times.
Just love the music biz - you can have just as much fun in a small room as in a theatre or a huge rock stage... Thanks Christina and Ant for
great musicianship (yet again) and to Lance Fishman for the pics.
August 2011
The new theatre is now open at Burrinja and it is just wonderful - did a bit of singing there on the Opening Day with VoKallista - a beautiful song written by Ruth Moody called One Voice - you've probably heard it sung by The Wailing Jennys. Gorgeous. Cath Conelly sang the first verse ("the sound of one voice"), joined in the second verse ("voices two") by the fabulous Chris Riseley and then I jumped in to become "voices three". Then the whole chorus came in from the wings - the wonderful sounds and colours of Vokallista, ably led by Barb McFarlane. What a great way and the perfect song to bring our gorgeous hills community together on such a special day. Thank you Barb for inviting me to sing with VoKallista - it was a memorable event on so many levels.
Had Jim and Alex from the Borderers staying with us for a night after they did a gig in the new Burrinja Theatre for the Ranges Burrinja Folk Club - lovely people, great musos and OMG what energy those two have on stage! Very impressive high kicks - especially from Jim! Alex, your comment "it makes everything easier" has inspired me to get fitter again, so now I'm walking several times a week and feeling the difference already - yeah! Always good to have new friends in the music biz who not only entertain you but give you great health advice as well - HA! I've also been busy preparing some new pieces of art for my current exhibition (including the one pictured above about the music industry - called The Rock Climber), doing some really fun workshops as a piano player with John Thorn and the crew from that fabulous theatrical show, Spontaneous Broadway, and working on the layout and artwork for a really interesting book about learning how to play the piano using colours of the rainbow - so there's lots going on - as usual...
June 2011
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A couple of lovely gigs with friends, Maria Forde and those crazy old boys, Munro, O'Callaghan and Titchener (MOT). In fact, the MOT-ley crew stayed over with us and were doing a rehearsal in my loungeroom before the gig - felt like I had CSN in my house. Wonderful. Did a lovely gig with them at Burrinja - laughed my head off and almost shed a tear with a couple of the songs and stories we heard them perform - great songwriters and storytellers all. Go see them when they're touring near by. Also did another fabulous fundraising concert with Michelle Chandler, Phil Smith, STAX, Owen Hardidge, Chris Green and Z-man on drums at the wonderful GEMCO theatre for Fernlea House. It was a great night with lots of cheeky comments peppered between our songs - an absolute hoot - and all for a good cause. And a lovely way to finish off June before disappearing up north for a bit was another gorgeous gig with Maria Forde at Wyreena Cafe. It's finally doing the monthly music cafe nights again and it really is a delightful night there on the last Friday of every month. Great music, lovely cosy atmosphere and a nice supper to boot! You can hear a pin drop in that place! :) |
April 2011
Been doing a lot of benefit concerts this year - no wonder either - what a summer it's been. Cec Bucello forn TRAD and NOW magazine asked me to write an article about it - here it is below...with pics (thanks to Lance Fishman).
The power of music
Most musicians don’t have a lot of money. But they can certainly help to generate it.
This was clearly demonstrated early this year by three concerts in three weeks, which raised over $10,000 for flood relief, held at a relatively small venue known as Burrinja café in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges.
In late January, we all sat and watched the TV in disbelief at the massive amount of water hitting Queensland, and the destruction which was devastating lives…and it didn’t take very long for people, not just here in Australia but overseas, to realise the magnitude of the disaster unfolding and that those affected were going to need a LOT of help. Europeans started to appreciate it when they were told that the area flooded was equivalent to France and Germany combined.
Singer-songwriter, Michelle Chandler immediately put out a post on facebook asking if any musos in the Dandenong Ranges would like to participate in a fundraising gig to aid the flood victims…there was an immediate response of resounding YESs from a bunch of musicians.
After the Victorian bushfires in 2009, that were so close to home for many of us up here in the Dandenongs, there was a sense of déjà vu – albeit an ironically different kind of disaster – memories of the massive outpouring of compassion shown by people all over the country who donated food, clothing, shelter, goods and services and other forms of practical help. After a while though, outside of emotional support, it became clear that what people really needed most, to get back on their feet, was money.
The next day, completely independently, Andrew (AJ) Jackson from AJ Events and the Ranges Burrinja Folk Club rang me up and said “Trace, I want to organise a fundraiser concert to help these people. You in?”
“Absolutely…and I’m happy to do the publicity too but you need to talk to Michelle Chandler about musos because she’s already onto it and has lots of interest already”…and so began the lightning fast collaboration between artists already wanting to do something to help, a popular venue and a folk club and events organiser with the networks and experience to pull off a series of concerts at really short notice.
Within 24 hours there was a bunch of musicians lined up who didn’t hesitate to offer their time, including Janette Geri, Penelope Swales, Christina Green, Tabasco Tom and Doc White, STAX, Zoltan Almady, Tracey Roberts, Michelle Chandler, Coen Dixon and Dave McFarlane and his band.
“I was really impressed by the musicians’ willingness to jump in without a blink” said AJ, who has also said that he doesn’t see so much of that in certain rock circles…the power of egos perhaps?
Cheryl Guenther of Burrinja Café provided the venue and café staff for the next available Friday night, throwing in several restaurant gift vouchers. Dave McFarlane also offered to provide the PA and do the sound, Dawn and Kathie from the folk club arranged to do the door / raffle tickets thing, posters went up, photo shoots with the newspapers were arranged and the publicity machine was well underway. AJ organised the lighting rig and also arranged for a professional auctioneer, Brendan Pearse, from AAA Events (who also donated his time), as well as a formidable number of individuals and companies in the local community who offered goods and services to auction ranging from artwork and jewellery to massage / physio treatments and Harley Davidson rides.
Thanks to the power of social media, the concert was sold out in 2 days before the information had even hit the newspapers and radio stations, so after another frenzy of phone calls, a second concert was announced for the next night which was fortuitously available. Then the floods hit Victoria. And so concert number three was arranged for a few weeks later…this time we also brought in Jenny Biddle, Cyril Moran, Dave Diprose and Tim Hackett, The Dukes of Despair and the fabulous comedic talents of Sue-Ann Post, just for fun!
All three concerts sold out really quickly and provided high energy, busy, buzzing nights with a great variety of musical styles and personalities, raffles of musicians’ CDs and lots of good stuff in the auctions, which actually turned out to be hilarious! We can’t thank enough such a wonderful and compassionate community who supported all three events and were so willing to part with their money for a good cause. Overall, the three nights raised just over $10, 000 - $6,300 of which went to The Queensland Premier’s Relief Fund and the remaining $3,700 to Victorian flood victims via The Red Cross.
Sadly, unexpected, natural disasters do happen but human beings are intrinsically good and are genuinely willing to help. These astounding and wonderful nights, full of positive energy, love, fun and music have shown an overwhelming generosity of spirit by all who were involved - not just the artists or event organisers, but the whole community.
Musicians understand the power of music and its many forms. Most musicians don’t have a lot of money, but they can help to generate it. Not just for themselves and their families, but for people who desperately and genuinely need it – another form of the power of music.
Tracey Roberts - March 2011
October 2010
More great jazz with wonderful musos...new songs and new stories...
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July 2010
A great year so far with lots of artful music and musical art - some lovely art exhibitions (Kinross House and Maldon's Penny School Gallery) and various concerts in conjunction with them, although there have also been some lovely gigs at a few festivals as well including the wonderful Bourke and Wills Winery with Michelle Chandler and Christina Green (Chloe Hall popped in and sang a few songs with us too which was great). It's such a wonderful place (even though the weather was WILD! That's when the foothills near my home got pelted with hailstones the size of golf balls and heaps of homes and vehicles were damaged - it's amazing no-one was hurt really...). In fact, that weekend I was supposed to be doing the Inverloch Jazz festival as WELL but a few of its venues got damaged by the storm too and so quite a few gigs were cancelled - so I just stayed up at Mia Mia at Andrew's place and did a few more gigs with Michelle and co (damn! ha ha...) What a wonderful weekend - great fun, great friends, great music and great memories. Those times are the reason we do what we do...
Did a few more house concerts too (there need to more of THESE too - what a great experience! ) this year as part of the Open Studios weekend in May. Shall keep you posted.
Some wonderfully fun outdoor gigs with Anthony Baker and David Hicks on drums again (just LOVE playing with those guys...) and of course, the fabulous quartet gig at Burrinja with Ant, Lok (the sax player and juggler extra-ordinaire) and Hermann Schwaiger (the double bass player with the dancing eyebrows). I wrote a few new songs at Easter (at LAST) and gave them an airing there so that was great - now they're OUT there! Time to run them in a bit and then record them for the next CD...when I can afford to get into the studio again...such is the lot of we independent musicians :)
Now I'm having my usual Winter break and "going inward", producing a few new pieces of art and some new songs for the next series of gigs and exhibitions (primarily the concert and exhibition at GASWORKS in Spetember - the gig guide has details ) whilst still doing a few other bits and pieces (PR work for Burrinja Cafe / freelance graphic design work) etc on the side to fund it all... (the wheels on the bus go round and round...)
See you out there!
For all the lowdown on what's happened before this, please click here...
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