Matt Zarb: Blog

Well we are home after a crazy 4 weeks of fun, music and people. After our original plans did not work out we ended up in a situation that clearly worked in our favour. Due to the show that I was originally involved with not going ahead as planned, I (thanks To Anna Rose) ended up on the street busking in a prime spot outside of Filling Groovy on Peel Street in Tamworth.See article below

During our stay at Mary Patterson's in Tamworth we were able to catch up with many of our friends, some old faces and meet lots of new ones.

I would firstly like to welcome all of our new friends to the mailing list, it was a pleasure getting to know you and for those of you that bought my Cd, thanks alot.

I would like to say thanks to all our friends - Minnie Marks  (15 year old monster Guitar Player friend), Marion Burns (Golden Fiddle Award Winner), Andrew Clermont (Mr Supper Club himself), Hamish Davidson, Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz (Hussy Hicks) and the rest of you know who you are. A special thanks to musicians Kieren Galsgow and Laurel Calvert for sharing the spot. It was great that you all made time to come down to Filling Groovy for a pick over the Festival. It's my most favourite gig in all of Tamworth and I have played just about every venue and stage but busking down Peel Street certainly is the most fun I have ever had playing music in the town... I must say that along with the busking my pick of all venues to play during the festival will always be Andrew Clermont's "Supper Club".

 

There were several highlights and special moments for me starting with Minnie Marks meeting Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz from The Hussy Hicks, this is hands down my favourite duo getting around. Julz Parker is a virtuoso master guitar player/singer/songwriter and Leesa Gentz is at her equal in the singing/songwriting department, Leesa has a voice somewhere between Eva Cassidy and Aretha Franklin but all her own style, the two together are an electric live show. Minnie was so excited to meet them both and then got the opportunity to play with them at some of their gigs around town. Minnie is 15 years of age and has just released her first CD "MYSTERY BOX". Many of you have heard Lesley and I talk of Minnie since meeting her last year at Tamworth. Her new CD is just fantastic and a great portrait of a very talented young woman, everything on the cd is written by her and played by her. Well done Minnie we all love you!!!

The Supper Club- http://www.andrewclermont.com.au/specialevents.htmAndrew Clermonts Supper Club is definitely the most cultured musical event that takes place in Tamworth during the festival in my opinion. Well that's where we headed every night for inspiration as well as a good time.Andrew has this amazing ability to attract musicians from all over the world to this one room and gets them all on stage playing together, creating  sounds and pieces of music on the spot that you will find difficult to find anywhere else in this country. Every night is different and you never know what you are going to get Fiddle Night, Banjo Night, Guitar Feature, Bluegrass, Harmonica Night and so much more. I cant stress enough that its worth going to the festival just for this alone! So many artists, too many to name them all but here are just a few, one of Australia's finest stand up bassist and singer/songwriter Liz Frenchman and the rest of the three piece "Jimmy The Fish" Pete Fidler (Dobro) and very talented Robbie Long on Guitar, Paris Mcleod (Piano), Coolgrass (a very funny spin on Bluegrass), Meagan Cooper (singer/songwriter), Montz Matsumoto (Banjo), Brookie (vocals), Jess Stocker (percussion), Tammy Neilsen, Mark Mazengarb, Marion Burns, Pot and Kettle and the list goes on and on, not forgetting the multi instrumentalist and host of this wonderful event Andrew Clermont. Ross Waldron certainly deserves a mention for the fantastic photographs that can be purchased online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/shmergen/sets/72157623270623508/.

At Supper Club we had the pleasure of watching a young man, just 17 years old, by the name of Stephen O'hern http://www.stephenohern.com/ playing us a piece of music on his guitar that left us both standing there with our mouths wide open! We invited Stephen down to Filling Groovy the next day to get his music to the people on the street. Just before Stephen arrived the next morning a young lady by the name of Tullara Conners had set up her very small speaker ready to do some busking herself, I went over to her and listened to what she was playing only to find out she was playing the same style of guitar playing the Stephen was the night before. I introduced Tullara and Stephen and within hours they were playing a duo at the Filling Groovy Busking spot. They were playing a version of "Ocean" by John Butler. I took them along to my old radio show 2youfm 88.9 were they played a live version on air along with other players such as Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz, Minnie Marks, The Brewster Brothers, Mitchel Shadlow and Mark Mazengarb(New Zealands finest acoustic guitarist out with fiddler mate of mine Marion Burns)....two hours of live music and talking music, it was Stephen and Tullara's first radio show but surley not the last!The same night we all went back took  to the Supper Club where Andrew had them up on stage playing a duo to a standing ovation and a very moved crowd.Such is the "Supper Club"

Here is the You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8QVbvi6gd8

Please share this with as many folks as you can..This was the very day they met.. Incredible!!!

Tullara and Stephen both had such a great week, Stephen just had one more wish and that was to meet Joe Robinson, Stephen and Joe met outside of Filling Groovy and Stephen got to play Joe a tune on his guitar and later was invited to Joe's show. Stephen is surely one of Australia's finest young acoustic guitarists. He is a great young fella and an equally great guitarist destined for a wonderful life in the music industry...

Tullara also had an action packed week... During the whole time on and off the street busking young Tullara her Mum "Noddy" and friend "Caitlin" took themselves to a talent quest where young Tullara won best instrumental which was a $200.00 prize and also gave her a spot in the open CMAA Talent Quest. This has been won in the past by lots of people one in particular Felicity Urquhart and many more great country singers and performers.. Young Tullara won this with just her "Maton Guitar" and played an instrumental. Amazing but surley deserved and will be down as the 2010 CMAA best new Talent!!! Well done Tullara.

I had the best time catching up with heaps of people and playing a heap of music.. The street is great for that.!!.. We will be doing this again next year for sure thanks to Jason and his family at Filling Groovy... Thanks to all the folks that voted Minnie and I "People's Choice" buskers. I went on to be invited to perform in the "National Busking Championships" .. Well bugger me if I did not get first place... A welcome thing on the kitchen table of bills and rent type issue's... Ahhh an artists life!! Would not change a thing though! My biggest issue in all of this was the "competition bit" as I teach so often NO COMPETITION IN MUSIC!!! but it was a great testament to what went on down on Peel St as all ten finalists were amazing to say the least...There are so many things I could talk about but these are the highlights in summing the whole trip up.

Very soon I will have the 2YOUFM 88.9 Radio Show online as a download for anyone interested along with some live footage of the whole event.

Its funny how things happen for a reason and you can look back in hindsight and it all makes sense, true magic in its real form! I guess everyone gets what they put in. What an absolutely amazing two weeks, something we will never forget.

I will be back at Great Lakes 101.5 Fm on Friday drive time 2pm-6pm, so wherever you may be in the world be sure that I will be playing you lots of new music from all of my friends from the festival, Tullara and Stephen do not have a CD as yet so please make sure you view the You tube link above. Here is the Great Lakes Link if you are not local so you can tune in online. http://www.greatlakesfm.org.au/studio_streaming.htm

 

Here is a list of venues booked over the next few months:

Lizottes Central Coast

We have a very special event in the Central Coast area at Lizottes on the 17th of June 2010. There are limited seats so if you are interested in coming along or maybe even making a long weekend out of it please visit the website. http://www.lizottes.com.au/live/

 

Taree-Songwriters Night at the Royal Hotel in Taree on the 4th of Feb 2010 7:00pm

Harrington-I will be playing Harrington on the 6th of Feb, 14th of Feb (Valentines Day, make sure you booked if you are planning to bring your loved one to dinner, I wont be singing "Lady In Red") and the 6th of March.

Urunga/Coffs Harbour-For all the Urunga/Coffs Harbour people I will be performing at the Coffs Harbour RSL on the 10th of Feb 2010, I know its a Wednesday night but make sure you support any venue offering live music midweek, keep us musicians fed!

Gold Coast-Twin Towns Services Club on the 9th,16th and 23rd of Feb. See ya on the Gold Coast

Tamworth-See you at Diggers on the 12th of Feb, looking forward to catching up with friends.

Nabiac/Forster/Taree-I will be playing at the Nabiac Hotel on 26th of Feb. Straight after the radio show. See you all there.   

Forster/Tuncurry-Tuncurry Bowling Club on the 5th of March- straight after the radio show.

A thanks to everyone for your constant support of independent music. A special thanks to Anna Rose- Northern Daily Leader, Cheryl Byrnes - Capital News, Nick Vanderkley- Tamworth City News, Rebecca Belt- Northern Daily Leader for your friendship and Jason at Filling Groovy for looking after us all so well during the festival. Thanks to David Logan at 2youfm 88.9 for giving me my spot back for a night at the radio station in Tamworth.

A big thanks to Ray McCoy our mate from Gunnadah and presenter on Festival FM in Tamworth. Ray opened so many spots for us to come in and play live to the festival fans. We had so much fun in the studio. The picture has old mate Monte Dwyer singing a tune he wrote on the road.. Minnie sang, Tullara and Steve played... I sang and played too.. It was just a live riot to say the least... Thanks to Johnny Wolfe too for the morning spot he gave me..

 

Thanks to all the musicians and friends that left their hand print on our special canvas that is now hanging up at Filling Groovy. If you are ever in Tamworth make sure you drop in to Filling Groovy and catch up with Jason and his awesome staff for a cuppa and a healthy sandwich and check out the Filling Groovy Buskers Canvas 2010, a few missing hands but we will be sure to get them next year.  

Thanks to Robert Pommer at Jacaranda Films for covering so much of what happened down on Peel street. Anyone interested in getting a copy of the media coverage can email Rob at jacarandafilms@hotmail.com

To April, thanks for the photocopies! You rock!

To Jack and your special friend Molly (the performing puppy dog), that was the happiest thing we saw on the street. I have busked before, but now I know how to turn $5 into $100. Very Funny!!!!

12 days busking, countless hours of picking all on one set of Elixir strings. Thanks Elixir!

 

Could not do without my Maton!

 

Peace, love and happy tune in everyones head

Matty