Tag Archives: Punk

VULGARGRAD (Melbourne) + Special Guests Raduga Trio at the Baroque Room, Katoomba Blue Mountains, FRI 5th April 2019

Nomadic Fish & Fusion Boutique Present
VULGARGRAD (Melbourne)
+ Special Guests Raduga Trio (Blue Mtns)
Live in concert at the Baroque Room, Carrington Hotel

Fri 5th April 2019
Venue: BAROQUE ROOM 86 Bathurst Rd (Upstairs from ‘The Harp & Fiddle’ Irish Bar)
– NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY –
Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains.

Everybody’s favourite Russian criminals make their long-awaited return to Australian stages, launching their much-anticipated new album, “The Odessa Job”. The band has amassed an incredibly dedicated fan-base over the last 14 years, but for those who don’t know, VulgarGrad are a seven-piece band that play music by, for, and about Russian criminals – raw, raucous, and rude (particularly if you understand Russian).

VulgarGrad frontman and infamous Polish ne’er-do-well, Jacek Koman, is the rough diamond of stage and screen, known for his vocals on Roxanne from Baz Lurhmann’s Moulin Rouge and seen in The Great Gatsby.
He has just been released from penal servitude in the chilly film and TV studios of Warsaw, but only on a temporary basis. VulgarGrad are only likely to have a handful of Australian shows in 2019, so make sure you catch them before they get away.

After a tantalisingly lengthy wait (ten years!), the band now has a new album:  “The Odessa Job”, launching this April at the recently refurbished Baroque Room in Katoomba (Friday 5th April), and Camelot Lounge in Marrickville (Saturday 6th April) + Django bar (Sunday 7th April 2019).

The first single from the new album “I Remember”  (“Помню я”) is a psychedelic Soviet prison ode to the memory of dear mama, who always warned us not to hang out with thieves.

Be prepared for a night of gun-slinging, vodka-swilling, foul-mouthed disorder, and watch out for the biggest, most triangular instrument you will ever see, the contrabass balalaika.
Experience drunken songs, inebriated waltzes, manic stomps, hot swing from the Cold War days along with punk classics of the Perestroika era.
Wear a striped top and learn to swear in Russian, and you will dance or the trumpeter will shoot you.

www.vulgargrad.com
www.facebook.com/VulgarGrad

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+ Special Guests Raduga Trio

“Raduga”– from Russian meaning rainbow or joyous arch – is an eclectic, energetic and exciting take on a raw gypsy style. Original compositions and arrangements of melodies and songs from around the world on the clarinet, piano accordion, ukulele and Gitano guitar, flavoured with tap dance and singing in Slavic and Roma languages. The trio plays without looping or digital devices – a truly live performance with high audience participation, expressed in dancing, clapping and sing alongs!

www.facebook.com/RadugaTrio

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Venue: BAROQUE ROOM
86 Bathurst Rd (Upstairs from ‘The Harp & Fiddle’ Irish Bar)
Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains
*** NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY KATOOMBA ST ***
Come and enjoy the new refurbishments of this terrific room!

Doors Open 8pm. Show Starts 8:30pm.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of standing/dancing and cocktail tables and lounges.
*Please note that this event is an over 18 years only. No minors will be granted entry to the event.

Tickets DISCOUNT Early Bird pre-sale $20 available from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Tues-Sat. Cash Only)

Or (Cash/card) CARRINGTON HOTEL reception
02 4782 1111
15-47 Katoomba St, Katoomba.

Or online $21.50 (Including booking fees):
www.stickytickets.com.au/81359

Or $25 (CASH) on the Door from 8pm (Unless Sold Out)

CONTACT DETAILS:

ON THE STOOP + Special Guests THE LOST MARIACHIS at the Baroque Room RELAUNCH, Katoomba Blue Mountains, SAT 29th September 2018

ON THE STOOP LIVE IN CONCERT
+ Special Guests THE LOST MARIACHIS
Live in concert at the Baroque Room, Carrington Hotel
RELAUNCH NIGHT following recent refurbishments!

Sat 29th September 2018
Venue: BAROQUE ROOM 86 Bathurst Rd (Upstairs from ‘The Harp & Fiddle’ Irish Bar)
– NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY –
Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains.

On The Stoop don’t plan on sticking to the rules. Or expectations. Or the straight path.
Balkan Gypsy, Mariachi, New-Orleans Swing, Hot Jazz, Spaghetti-Western, Cabaret, Film Score, Cumbia, Ska, Punk-Rock and Funk and few other as yet unidentified genres are all represented in this magnificent ensemble. On The Stoop are making a mark with their own style of refreshingly unpredictable music.

On the Stoop are formed by an outstanding group of players who each bring their personal spark to the band. They share members with bands including Waiting For Guinness, Mikelangelo, The Rhythm Hunters, Watussi, Fat Yahoozah, Facemeat, Chronology Arts Ensemble and a host of others.

Recent times have been generous to the band with a bunch of festivals under their belt, some regional touring capped off with performing at the Sydney Opera House.
Their latest LP, ‘Home’, received extensive radio support in Sydney including album of the week on Eastside Radio and airplay on community radio stations 2SER, FBi, ABC Radio National and RRR in Melbourne.

“My new favourite Zappa-flavoured, Spaghetti Western, gypsy-eyed, banjo powered, 1920’s/2040’s, Newtown, Balkan band” – John Hardaker, Words About Music

“I described their self-titled 2016 debut album as “Eastern-European, Tango, Balkan, Spaghetti Western, Gypsy, Vaudeville, Theatre, Blues, Zappa meets Trad Jazz’ and I was not kidding! On listening to their second album Home, I now have to add Mariachi, New-Orleans Swing, Cabaret, Film Score, Mexican Cumbia and Punk Rock. This is ludicrous I hear you proclaim. Well so is On the Stoop and I love them for it. Mariachi and Cumbia feature big time but not in their traditional forms.
On The Stoop bend and break the rules like no other Australian pop group and they do it in great style and with raucous abandon!

One moment they can summon up Frank Zappa in his zaniest moments and then next moment we’re in New Orleans with a second line street jazz band and then off to Mexico with a modern mariachi band. But these wildly varied flights of fancy are always framed in excellent musicianship in the composition, the arrangements and the playing. The horn harmonies are smooth and slick at times and weird and atonal when the song is begging for bent.

Only a group of highly accomplished musicians could keep up with the mercurial Serge Stanley who leads the band on a very wild ride. Dirk Kruithof contributes guitar lines that are sometimes pure spaghetti western and at other times have the angular attack of a musical chain saw. The rhythm section of Tim Bradley on drums and Joe Manton on bass is completely capable of all the myriad grooves that Stanley’s imagination demands. All the horn players are exceptionally good, playing in tight formation at times and in crazed cacophony at others.” – Peter Winkler, Loud Mouth

“This could be eight different bands from eight different corners of the world except it’s more like one fevered collective musical brain firing off ideas like skyrockets. Look, there’s one exploding above you right now” – Bernard Zuel, Music Journalist


On The Stoop come to the Blue Mountains fresh from playing a bunch of regional shows including filling halls in the mid North Coast and electrifying the dance floor at local festivals.

They are excited to be bringing their energetic mix of genres for a super fun night in the newly refurbished Baroque Room with two sets guaranteed to give the new sound system a great work out!

www.onthestoopmusic.com

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+ Special Guests THE LOST MARIACHIS

Comprising of members from Waiting from Guinness and the now retired Belle Jar, The Lost Mariachis play originals in a Mexican and other Latin American style with both electric and acoustic instruments.
From cockroaches to butterflies
From giants to circus midgets
From donkeys to stallions
From Mexican jumping beans to cheesy tortillas
All under the cover of a sombrero
From the jingle jangle of the galas to the thunder of Aztec drums
The Lost Mariachis To be found at the Baroque bar.

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Venue: BAROQUE ROOM
86 Bathurst Rd (Upstairs from ‘The Harp & Fiddle’ Irish Bar)
Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains
*** NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY KATOOMBA ST ***

Come and be a part of the relaunch weekend following extensive refurbishments of this terrific room!

*Please note that this event is an over 18 years only. No minors will be granted entry to the event.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of standing/dancing and cocktail tables and lounges.

Tickets DISCOUNT Early Bird pre-sale $15 available from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Tues-Sat. Cash Only)

Or $17 (Including booking fees) from:
CARRINGTON HOTEL reception 02 4782 1111
15-47 Katoomba St, Katoomba

Or online $16.50 (Including booking fees): www.stickytickets.com.au/74466

Or $20 on the Door from 8pm (Unless Sold Out)

CONTACT DETAILS:

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND & SONORI at Hotel Gearin, Katoomba Blue Mountains, SAT 16th December 2017

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND + SONORI
in concert at Hotel Gearin

Sat 16th December 2017
Venue: HOTEL GEARIN, 273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW 2780.

Put on your dancing shoes and don’t miss your chance to enjoy this unique musical experience!

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND return to the Blue Mountains to showcase some of their new material ahead of recording for their next album.
They will be joined on the night by Blue Mountains locals SONORI for their highly anticipated Mountains EP launch.

The mesmerising and fiery acoustic 4-piece that is THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND deliver high-energy Chainsaw Future-Folk. Post-Apocalyptic World Music. Celtic Energy. Swamp-Stomping Hoe down. Dance-Inciting Mayhem. Hardcore Gypsy Passion!

The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in 2006 through their mutual love of the energy and intensity of various traditional world music. Whilst writing and arranging, they discovered that this energy was shared by the other music they love: there seems to be a common thread between the frenetic accompaniment of gypsy, klezmer and punk rock; between the twisting rhythms of math-metal and balkan folk; between the clear tonalities of Scandinavian folk, Celtic folk, and cinematic post rock.

All these influences went into the mix, but what came out was The Crooked Fiddle Band. The sound they love is dark and often driving, but also writhing and ecstatic. They have jumped around with whirling crowds at festivals, bars and dirty warehouse parties throughout Europe and Australia and also played their more cinematic sounds in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
From whirling dances to intense battle-scene climaxes, this four-piece spurs the dance floor into a post-apocalyptic hoe down.

This music they have sometimes called ‘chainsaw folk’ – even though they are pro-conservation – but others have called it “14th century Romanian metal”, “thrash folk”, “whirlwind gypsy” and even “what Sepultura would sound like if they provided the soundtrack to a hyperactive version of O Brother Where Art Thou.” So whilst the search continues for a name for their genre, they are mainly concerned with making music with melody, energy and intensity.

Driven by the beautiful and furious fiddling of Jess Randall (also on Lennart Lovdin Nyckelharpa), and underpinned by a rhythm section featuring Gordon Wallace (Gilet guitar, a Wheeler Customer Lutherie guizouki and a Fylde mandolin and cittern), Mark Stevens (double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, charango) and Joe Gould (drum kit, hand percussion, garbage bin, vocals) the Crooked Fiddle Band sound blasts, rocks and grooves to the point of dementia, compelling listeners into a joyous frenzy.

Their music has been described by Brian Eno as “…completely surprising: the music is original and quixotic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything else like it!”

“This band really is a national treasure and testament to the infinite talent that keeps manifesting in our backyard… this group have re-invented folk music as it is known… The Crooked Fiddle Band charmed the audience into submission.” – Vanessa Lahey, Australian Stage

“When The Crooked Fiddle Band took to the stage, it was as though someone had put 10,000 volts through the dance floor.” – BEAT magazine.

www.crookedfiddleband.com
www.facebook.com/crookedfiddleband

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Formed in the music and art rich community of Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains of NSW, SONORI was the result of the unlikely convergence of an effects loving classically trained cellist, a post rock guru and an electronics junkie. Word of this intriguing and unusual combination lead to a gig booking before they had even played a single note together. Beginning life as an instrumental three piece made up of looped cellos, guitars/keys and drum machines, they were then joined by an eclectically influenced singer taking their original compositions to a whole other level with an extensive set of lyrical themes and versatile singing techniques.
They quickly discovered that their individual skills and complimentary differences blended with their shared passions and friendly natures, resulting in a musical style which fulfilled the promise of something special and unique.

Rich with thick layers of sound, pulsing beats and soaring and shadowy vocals, they have been described as “Cinematic orchestral experimental journey music. Post rock you can dance to”.

Appealing to both the outgoing dancers and the inward thinkers alike, they immediately captured people’s attention and the buzz that was created on the local scene following their first few shows confirmed that they were onto something.
As their sound continued to develop through a string of hometown appearances, the band commenced work on their debut EP, further solidifying the bond between the members as they all worked closely together on the writing, composition, arrangement, recording and mixing.

With a front page feature in local street press ‘The Haze Mag’, and multiple appearances on community radio, local support continued to grow as they appeared on stage alongside acts as varied as Sydney post rock giants We Lost the Sea, and Melbourne beats oriented world music titans Tijuana Cartel.
A trip to Psyfari festival in 2016 saw them playing a technicolour ‪Saturday night‬ set with a great response from the happy Psyfarians.

More recently the band spent two nights performing on the steps of Katoomba’s iconic Carrington Hotel as part of the ‘Culturescape’ festival event, where their music provided a live soundtrack to the works of local artists projected across the face of the building as the band played.

This romantic origin story is represented beautifully on their debut self titled EP, which is due for release in December‪.‬ The recording serves as both an introduction to the band and a promise of much more to come.

Line up:
Lulu Levins-Skehill – Vocals, Bass
Andre Matkovic – Guitar, Keys
Tim Mahony – Cello
Jasper Russell – 303, 808, 909, TRON, other drum machines, electronics & lights

www.sonorimusic.com
www.facebook.com/sonorimusic

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Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.
*Please note that this Hotel Gearin show is over 18’s only.

Doors Open 8pm. SONORI Start 8:45pm.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of cabaret seating and standing/dancing.

Tickets DISCOUNT Early Bird pre-sale $20 available from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Tues-Sat. Cash Only) or the Hotel Gearin front Bar during open hours.

Or online $21.50 (Including booking fees): www.stickytickets.com.au/59302

*Please Note – there are a limited number of pre-sale discount tickets available!

Or $25 on the Door from 8pm (Unless Sold Out)

CONTACT DETAILS:

THE RUMJACKS at Hotel Gearin, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Sat 15th Oct 2016

The Rumjacks
+ Special Guests The Marquis

Sat 15th Oct 2016
HOTEL GEARIN
Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.

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The Rumjacks take to the road to showcase material from their third studio album, Sleepin Rough, released worldwide through FOUR || FOUR records.

Following a 90-date tour of Europe and UK, the band are pumped to bring their blistering live set home to Australia, playing new album tracks alongside fan favourites. The Sleepin’ Rough Tour is the band’s most ambitious Australian tour to date – 35 dates taking in every nook and cranny of the country, from Darwin to Launceston, East Coast to West Coast!
They are one of this country’s most successful live exports, becoming festival regulars throughout the UK and Europe and playing massive events such as Woodstock Poland, Punk Rock Holiday, Exit Festival, Lowlands, Rockmaraton and Mighty Sounds.

Bursting from the blue-stone streets of Sydney town in 2008, when frontman Frankie McLaughlin met bassist Johnny McKelvey, the band hasn’t stopped running since. A couple of EPs – Hung, Drawn & Portered and Sound As A Pound in 2009 – cemented early promise, debut LP Gangs Of New Holland the following year, building upon that. The Rumjacks had something, rough and raw, visceral and real.

“Its like growing up with a tear in your eye and a storm brewing in your heart,” muses McLaughlin on the musical heritage of the group. “We were raised on the Scottish and Irish music in our parents’ record collection, before colliding head-on with punk/rock as we grew older and thought we knew everything.”
Sober & Godless, their second full-length album was released in 2015, and saw the band really hit their collective straps. The touring stepped up and The Rumjacks have since shared stages with the likes of The Dropkick Murphys, Gogol Bordello, The UK Subs and The Aggrolites, amongst others.

Further, their various film clips have amassed a gargantuan 18 million YouTube views, 13 million of those for their phenomenally successful ‘An Irish Pub Song’. During a successful tour of Europe last year (40 shows in 52 days), they headlined the Montelago Celtic Festival in Italy (playing to 15,000 people); played the Jarocin Festival in Poland; slayed ‘em at clubs in Berlin, London, Prague and parts of Austria and the Netherlands, finishing it all up at the Boomtown Fair in Winchester, England.

The Rumjacks brand new studio album Sleepin’ Rough is to be released early August. The quintet’s third long-player, picks up where 2015’s Sober & Godless left off. Booming from the get-go with ‘Patron Saint Of Thieves’, a thundering punk aesthetic intertwined through the group’s Irish and Scottish musical heritage, this album is full throttle, all spit and bile, raucous and real.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking The Rumjacks are just an angry bunch of punks. Far from it – their music, while hard and fast for the most part, carries with it an element of fun and frivolity, harking back to their Old Country roots, places where music is an integral part of community gathering, sound tracking the times with an almost savage joy.

As frontman Frankie McLaughlin has said, they’re not trying to reinvent anything, they’re just trying to produce the best songs they can in order to make a connection with the people listening. And that’s what Sleepin’ Rough is too – a clutch of real songs written and performed by real people, for other real people. Stories of life, love and loss, set to a throbbing beat. Sleepin’ Rough sees The Rumjacks in career best form.

“Eight years in now, and The Rumjacks are a force. Their live shows have become legendary, their records lauded, their ethos and commitment second to none. They’ve put in the hard yards, and they’re not done yet – this will be their year, the year of The Rumjacks.” – Samuel J. Fell, Rhythms / Rolling Stone

Frankie McLaughlin: Vocals, tin whistle.
Johnny McKelvey: Bass, vocals
Anthony Matters: Drums, vocals
Gabriel Whitbourne: Guitars, vocals
Adam Kenny: Mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, bodhran, acoustic guitar, vocals

www.therumjacks.com

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+ Special Guests Picture Perfect

Trio Picture Perfect have been hard at work the last few years. 2013 saw the release of the band’s debut single ‘Faceless Man’, which gained considerable praise and attention from community radio stations across the country. 2014 saw the release of the band’s first EP “Well Alright!” – featuring the single ‘I Know You Better’, which was picked up for rotation by Triple J Unearthed radio and Triple M. After touring extensively in 2014, the band burst into 2015 with the single ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ – gaining it’s radio debut on Triple M’s Homegrown show.

After a short break to recharge and work on new material, Picture Perfect are back in action for 2016 with the release of their new single “One Desire” (out October 10th). In a time when the industry is saturated with songs of lust and indulgence, but have a loose grip on reality and even promote infidelity – “One Desire” boasts the allure of monogamy. Mostly recorded live in the studio, “One Desire” flaunts the trio’s tight performance and treads new ground musically. The songs mid-tempo, groove-orientated feel accompanied with slinky guitar licks and laid back vocals, contrasts the band’s previous, more straight-forward rock tracks, but keeps the conviction and edge of the band’s sound.

With a live show described by TheMusic.com.au as “pure energy” and a steady collection of diverse singles – it’s no wonder why Picture Perfect are making an unmistakable mark on the scene.

www.facebook.com/pictureperfecttheband

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+ Special Guests The Marquis

The Marquis are an alternative 3 piece band based in the Blue Mountains. Combining the likes of The Beatles, the Jam and Oasis, the punk aesthetic does not outshine the complex emotions and song writing quality on display.
The Marquis’ sound is a playful yet melancholy whirlwind of autumn sadness and gritty determination sure to appeal to any emotion on any day.

www.facebook.com/TheMarquisbandaus

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Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.
*Please note that Hotel Gearin shows are over 18’s only.

Doors Open 8:30pm.
Show Starts 9pm.

General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of cabaret seating and standing/dancing.

Tickets DISCOUNT Early Bird pre-sale $15 available from KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Tues-Sat. Cash Only) or the Hotel Gearin front Bar during open hours.

Or online $16.50 (Including booking fees): www.stickytickets.com.au/36280

*Please Note – there are a limited number of pre-sale discount tickets available!

Or $20 on the Door from 8:30pm (Unless Sold Out)

CONTACT DETAILS:

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND + DVA (Czech Republic) + Vanessa Caspersz & Gaia Scarf at Hotel Gearin, Katoomba Blue Mountains, Fri 1st May 2015

Nomadic Fish and Fusion Boutique Present:
THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
+ DVA (Czech Republic)
+ Special Guests – Vanessa Caspersz & Gaia Scarf (Blue Mountains)

Fri 1st May 2015
HOTEL GEARIN
Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.

One Show Only – Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this unique musical experience!

The mesmerising and fiery acoustic 4-piece that is THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND deliver high-energy Chainsaw Future-Folk. Post-Apocalyptic World Music. Celtic Energy. Swamp-Stomping Hoe down. Dance-Inciting Mayhem. Hardcore Gypsy Passion!

The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in 2006 through their mutual love of the energy and intensity of various traditional world music. Whilst writing and arranging, they discovered that this energy was shared by the other music they love: there seems to be a common thread between the frenetic accompaniment of gypsy, klezmer and punk rock; between the twisting rhythms of math-metal and balkan folk; between the clear tonalities of Scandinavian folk, Celtic folk, and cinematic post rock.

All these influences went into the mix, but what came out was The Crooked Fiddle Band. The sound they love is dark and often driving, but also writhing and ecstatic. They have jumped around with whirling crowds at festivals, bars and dirty warehouse parties throughout Europe and Australia and also played their more cinematic sounds in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
From whirling dances to intense battle-scene climaxes, this four-piece spurs the dance floor into a post-apocalyptic hoe down.

This music they have sometimes called ‘chainsaw folk’ – even though they are pro-conservation – but others have called it “14th century Romanian metal”, “thrash folk”, “whirlwind gypsy” and even “what Sepultura would sound like if they provided the soundtrack to a hyperactive version of O Brother Where Art Thou.” So whilst the search continues for a name for their genre, they are mainly concerned with making music with melody, energy and intensity.

Driven by the beautiful and furious fiddling of Jess Randall (also on Lennart Lovdin Nyckelharpa), and underpinned by a rhythm section featuring Gordon Wallace (Gilet guitar, a Wheeler Customer Lutherie guizouki and a Fylde mandolin and cittern), Mark Stevens (double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, charango) and Joe Gould (drum kit, hand percussion, garbage bin, vocals) the Crooked Fiddle Band sound blasts, rocks and grooves to the point of dementia, compelling listeners into a joyous frenzy.

Their music has been described by Brian Eno as “…completely surprising: the music is original and quixotic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything else like it!”

“This band really is a national treasure and testament to the infinite talent that keeps manifesting in our backyard… this group have re-invented folk music as it is known… The Crooked Fiddle Band charmed the audience into submission.” – Vanessa Lahey, Australian Stage

“When The Crooked Fiddle Band took to the stage, it was as though someone had put 10,000 volts through the dance floor.” – BEAT magazine.

www.crookedfiddleband.com
www.facebook.com/crookedfiddleband

DVA (Hradec Králové / Pardubice / Czech Republic) create alt-pop-songs / kitchen beat box / tango / cabaret / cirkus / radionoise!

Operating in their own microcosm, DVA have stood out with an idiosyncratic sonic lexicon – “pop for non-existing radios” or “folklore of non-existing nations”, as they say. The duo – it takes two “dva” in Czech, to tango – Bára Kratochvílová and Jan Kratochvíl, have carved out a niche with their rich musical landscape. Established in 2006, the Czech project have toured the world, playing at esteemed festivals including SXSW, Eurosonic, Fusion or OFF, charming their growing global fan base with smart sophisticated pop. In 2012, DVA toured the US twice and played more than 80 concerts in 10 countries. DVA’s soundtrack for the computer game Botanicula scooped the main prize at Independent Games Festival awards in San Francisco last year, and was also nominated for the UK Sound & Music Awards.

DVA’s much-acclaimed debut album Fonók was released in 2008 which was followed by Hu in 2010, and an eponymous soundtrack for the aforementioned video game in 2013 with a new record Nipomo. Their lyrics, written in an imaginary language, remain abstruse, yet universally comprehensible, while the music is similarly peculiarly universal – an aural collage of “pop, kitchen beatbox, tango, cabaret, circus, radio noise”, bearing their unmistakable stamp – quirky, but accessible. Championed by critics – from the BBC to national and specialist music press and beyond – and fans alike, DVA are one of the most successful Czech bands to emerge in the last decade. Aside from music, they are also active in theatre whose features they have transferred into the music as well. It is not surprising then that the project’s seeds were sewn during the recording of the science fiction radio play by I. Asimov – Victory Unintentional. DVA are a living and breathing aural organism, its own thing.

www.2dva.cz
www.facebook.com/hudba2

Blue Mountains locals Vanessa Caspersz and Gaia Scarf will be opening up the evening with their own endearing and quirky blend of Jazz / Folk / Hip Hop / Beatbox.

“I like to pretend that I am a dj but only have my mouth and a ukulele” Vanessa Caspersz.
She holds an orchestra of drums, vocals and trumpet in her mouth, a ukulele in her hands and a loop pedal at her feet

Vanessa Caspersz is an up-and-coming artist from the Blue Mountains, home of Australian hip hop sensations Hermitude, Urthboy and Thundamentals. Starting off performing acoustically, Vanessa branched out into developing her beat boxing skills when she moved to London in 2011. She worked closely with well-established beat boxing artists Reeps One and Shlomo, and joined the London Contemporary Voices choir, incorporating vocal percussion into their performances and touring at festivals across the country. Beyond her tight beat boxing skills, Vanessa has a hauntingly striking voice and plays a mean ukulele that captivates her audience and brings her beats to life. She competed in both the UK and Australian beat box championships, and is currently performing and collaborating with various artists.

www.facebook.com/vanessacaspersz
www.youtube.com/user/vanessacaspersz

 

Doors Open 8:30pm.
Support Starts 9pm.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of cabaret seating and standing/dancing.

Tickets $15 pre-sale available NOW from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Cash Only)

Online $16.50 (Including booking fees):
www.trybooking.com/HDTG

$20 on the Door from 8:30pm Friday 1st May 2015 (Unless Sold Out)

THE BEEZ “Don’t Mention the Wall!” – Live At The Attic, Upstairs Hotel Blue, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Sun 26th Apr 2015

THE BEEZ – Don’t Mention The Wall!

The Beez and Fusion Boutique Present: THE BEEZ – Don’t Mention The Wall!

Sunday 26th April 2015

Original Songs, stories, short films and slides from the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond, with native Berliner Deta Rayner (accordion/voice) and Australian expat and Berlin resident since 1988 Rob Rayner (guitar/voice) This unique show encompasses their experiences, both personal and political, during the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

From Balkan to Bluegrass, Polka to Punk and Klezmer to Cabaret, this is the unadulterated truth about the dramatic post-Wall banana shortage, East German Country and Western harmonica production and Stasi-assisted sound checks, all from a uniquely German/Australian perspective.

Cabaret sensibilities and trademark soaring harmonies inform Rob and Deta´s performance in a funny and moving account from two musicians unwittingly caught up in one of the most significant events of the 20th century.

Following a successful Australian tour in 2013 (generously supported by the Goethe Institute), this truly unique show is currently being performed in Germany to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“Don’t Mention the Wall!” will be touring Australia from January to May 2015.

“The Beez were one of the most colourful and entertaining ensembles to ever play for us. By the end of the festival they had quite clearly become the most popular act.” – Illawarra Folk Festival Australia

“They were the hit of our 2007 Cobargo Folk Festival. It was mostly their manic energy and superb musicianship that raised the atmosphere of the Festival to new heights. They packed our main venue to bursting and beyond with dancers flanking the fringes.” – Cobargo Folk Festival Australia

One Show Only – Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this unique boutique experience event!

Web: www.thebeez.de
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebeezfromberlin
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/thebeezberlin

VENUE:
HOTEL BLUE “LIVE AT THE ATTIC”
Upstairs 88 Lurline St, Katoomba, NSW 2780
Blue Mountains

Doors Open 6:00pm. Show Starts 6:30pm.
General Admission. Theatre Style Seating.

Tickets $20 discount pre-sale (Cash Only) available from:
HOTEL BLUE (during reception hours)
88 Lurline St, Katoomba, NSW 2780
Or via phone/card +$1.50 bf 02) 4782 6922

Online $21.50 (Including booking fees):
www.trybooking.com/GLEM

Or $25 on the Door from 6pm Sun 26th April 2015 (Unless Sold Out)
This is an intimate seating and tickets are strictly limited!

CONTACT DETAILS: Charity Mirow 0409 042 869
For more information visit: www.fusionboutique.com.au

SOLD OUT – THE UNDERSCORE ORKESTRA (Portland, Oregon, USA) Australian Tour at Hotel Blue, Upstairs “Live At The Attic” Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Sun 22nd Mar 2015

THE UNDERSCORE ORKESTRA (Portland, Oregon, USA) Australia/NZ Tour

Special Guests ‘THE SQUEEZEBOX TRIO’

Hotel Blue, Upstairs “Live At The Attic” Katoomba, Blue Mountains.

Sun 22nd March 2015, 6:30pm. Doors Open 6pm.

BALKAN, KLEZMER, GYPSY JAZZ & SWING.
With a repertoire consisting of both original and traditional material.

Eclectic and energetic band ‘The Underscore Orkestra’ are based out of Portland Oregon, USA and have been touring the US, Canada, Europe and Central America, Australia and New Zealand for the past 8+ years.

Guaranteed to get you up and moving whether you like to swing dance, Balkan Folk dance, or just go out and shake it!

Their Performance evokes the old world and the new, the eerily haunting air of sounds and movements from the East, with definite roots in the West. Influences are far and wide but range from New Orleans Jazz, to Eastern European Roma and Klezmorim music, Manouche Swing, to Acoustic Metal. They often incorporate live Belly Dance and Circus Arts in their shows.
Syncopated Rhythms and original dance vignettes. Guaranteed to get you up and dancing! It will put the p in your pistol and the zing in your zinger. Guaranteed to boost your bravado and perk your package, tempt your temptress with The Underscore Orkestra. An experience you have to see and hear to believe.

Instrumentation is Violin, Guitar, Accordion, Horns, Clarinet, Bass, Sousaphone Percussion, Harmonica, Piccolo, Ukulele, Bambazoo and Belly Dancing.

The Underscore Orkestra has taken many forms over the years and has travelled far and wide in many ways. Including vegetable oil powered tour bus, planes, trains, boats, autos, hitch hiking. Their favourite way is by bicycle, which they have done numerous times in Europe.

The Underscore Orkestara will be on their 3rd tour of Australia. They have built up a good following from their extensive touring in the past (previous tours included a range of shows over 3 months and also multiple festival appearances at Illawarra Folk Festival, Cobargo Folk Festival, Numeralla Folk Festival as well as Peats Ridge Music Festival and Rainbow Serpent Festival and this year’s Falls Festival in Bryon Bay!)
They will be all up and down the East coast from QLD, NSW, VIC, and back up again.
They are very excited to be returning to play new material written and inspired by their previous Oz adventures.

Their live shows are something to remember for years to come, they are fond of selling many wares, including Underscore Underwear, Uncle Jerry’s Magically Malicious Mustache Wax, CD’s, Neck Ties, Nude Calendars, Music boxes, and Stand up tub Basses.

“The band’s Eastern European sound is sort of a mix between Gypsy rock big guns DeVotchKa and Gogol Bordello. They’ve got the very ethnic sound of the former, and though they play fast, it’s not at the manic punk level of the latter. The phrase ‘foot-stompin’ also is apt, as their original and traditional pieces have a way of making people move” – Reno Retro Mix

“You know a band is good when at the end of their sound check the audience starts clapping” – New Paltz Cultural Collective

“Best Local Album” – KBOO Radio “Amazing!!!” – VPR

Web: www.TheUnderscoreOrkestra.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Underscore-Orkestra/16964848640330

The Squeezebox Trio are an amalgamation of piano accordion, violin, two gitane guitars and hell of a lot of Jazz and folk stylings! Thomas Hodson, Michael O’Donnell, Javen Sanchez and Luke Chapman (respectively) form the increasingly inaccurately named ‘THE SQUEEZEBOX TRIO.’ Formed in 2012, this ensemble of vagabond musicians have since brought their energetic live performances and unique musical styling to the Jazz Manouche genre popularised by Django Reinhardt in the 1930’s to several corners of Aus; incorporating influences and a repertoire of European Folk Song, Bossa’s, French Musettes, Jazz favourites, Disney/film classics as well as many originals.

Web: www.thesqueezeboxtrio.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Squeezebox-Trio/500621429965793

VENUE:
HOTEL BLUE “LIVE AT THE ATTIC”
Upstairs, 88 Lurline St, Katoomba, NSW 2780
Blue Mountains

Doors Open 6:00pm. Show Starts 6:30pm.
General Admission. Theatre Style Seating.

Tickets $10 pre-sale available from:
HOTEL BLUE (during reception hours)
88 Lurline St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Cash Only)

Online $11.50 (Including booking fees):
www.trybooking.com/GORM

Or $15 on the Door from 6pm Sun 22nd March 2015 (Unless Sold Out)
This is an intimate seating and tickets are strictly limited!

CONTACT DETAILS: Charity Mirow 0409 042 869
For more information visit: www.fusionboutique.com.au

THE RUMJACKS Album Launch with Special Guests Belle Jar AT HOTEL GEARIN, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Thur 5th Mar 2015

Troubadour Touring and Fusion Boutique Present:
The Rumjacks
Special Guests Belle Jar (Blue Mountains)

Thur 5th March 2015
HOTEL GEARIN
Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.

With their brand new studio album ‘Sober & Godless’ due for release in early 2015, The Rumjacks are hitting the road in February, March & April for an extensive Australian tour.

Born of a desire to make music in general and Celtic-flavoured punk in particular, The Rumjacks are an entity rather askew, cast adrift of the mainstream and the industry as a whole. These five musical misfits from the cobbled streets of old Sydney town are a group unto themselves and the music they’ve made their own.

Since the group’s inception, they’ve come to embrace the oddball world they’ve found themselves in, becoming part of the gnarled, handmade furniture you might say, drawing from a solid base and pushing, stretching, bullying it to their every whim, creating something of their own. You may make comparison to The Pogues, Billy Bragg, The Dropkick Murphys et al, and you’d be right to, but you’d be well advised to acknowledge the twist these five have put to their music themselves, making it something unique.
“Well it’s absolutely vital,” concurs front man McLaughlin on putting their own stamp on this music, something that has led to the band cultivating a marvellous versatility which sees them comfortable on any number of stages, in any number of situations. From their heavy Celtic roots to the driving punk rock rhythms, the cheeky lyrics and rampant, greased up bonhomie that drips from the stage whenever these five step up, this is what The Rumjacks bring.

It’s been this versatility, not to mention the flat-out talent and drive they exude, that’s seen the band share stages with artists as diverse as Gogol Bordello, Guttermouth, the Dropkick Murphys, GBH, UK Subs and The Aggrolites. It’s seen the two releases since their debut EP – the Sound As A Pound EP (’09) and debut long-player, Gangs Of New Holland (’10) – stand up as solid works, finding places amongst the collections of fans of rock, punk, folk, reggae, Irish and god knows what else.

Frankie McLaughlin: Vocals, tin whistle.
Johnny McKelvey: Bass, vocals
Anthony Matters: Drums, vocals
Gabriel Whitbourne: Guitars, vocals
Adam Kenny: Mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, bodhran, acoustic guitar, vocals

www.therumjacks.com

RumjacksOutsideLong

Ignited in the catacombs of Paris, Belle Jar brings you the madness and mayhem of infectious rhythms and manic fables.
They play an original blend of Gypsy, Klezmer, Swing and Pop styles, with English and French lyrics. They tell stories of anti-heroes trying to break out of the ordinary that will get you up and dancing.
Belle Jar‘s infectious energy has spread from festival to festival over the last couple of years. Their genuine interaction with people and their passion for what they do is evident. These guys will fire up your old country longings as wild boom-chak boom-chak rhythm meets bent melody.”

www.bellejar.com.au
One Show Only!

Doors Open 8:30pm.
Support Starts 9pm.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of cabaret seating and standing/dancing.

Tickets $15 pre-sale available NOW from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Cash Only)

Online $16.15 (Including booking fees):
www.trybooking.com/GORG

$18 on the Door from 8:30pm Thur 5th March 2015 (Unless Sold Out)