A CHILL IN THE AIR!

Get ready for the 4^th - and final - series of 

The Wireless Chronicles - 

A little rehearsal fun for I SPY

I SPY - opening 11-15 March. ##PRODUCTION DEFERRED DUE TO COVOID19 ...Stay Tuned

   The Wireless Chronicles  is an evening at the wireless - a Live Radio Play interspersed with the music and stories of the decade.

 There are 4 in the series - set in the 20s, through to the 50s.  Each episode comprises a Cast delivering the Radio Play  - The Devious Digit of Destiny – (aka the Fickle Finger of Fate) as if in a radio station, live.  Hence the episodes are ‘read’ and using props and sound effects to enhance the audience experience.

     I SPY is set in the 1950s,  the era of the Cold War -  a decade which saw the birth of rock and roll, and the arrival of television in Australia. 

    The Players for Series 4 are;  writer/producer Maureen O’Brien; Stevi Cannon; Grant Bailey; John Dickeson; Amanda Broberg; David Benge, and guitarist/sound effects wizard Peter Sesselmann. Maureen will share a plethora of anecdotes from the era and the cast will perform a selection of the great songs from the 50s.

   Devotee’s of the series will no doubt be waiting to hear the fate of the characters in the DDoD which is a wacky gangster-cum-spy farce that includes some riotous antics including a car chase... (yes! On live radio!)    .......

  4 shows only and booking is recommended for those performances which include catering and can be made on 0421 072 444  OR via email:  bookings@maureen.com.au

  ##MARCH SEASON CANCELLED  DUE TO ILLNESS - STAY TUNED FOR RESCHEDULED DATES 

Back to the 40s

Save the date - May 31st is the opening of Series 3 of The Wireless Chronicles -  Armed and Languorous.  Opening at the Royal Exchange Salon Theatre (ReX) in Bolton Street for an 8pm start.

The Wireless Chronicles is an evening at the wireless - a Live Radio Play interspersed with the music and stories of the decade.  There are 4 in the series - set in the 20s, the 30s, the 40s and the 50s.  The show is delivered in the setting of a radio station with OUR audience forming the live-in-studio radio audience.  The shows are an evening (or sometimes an afternoon) of pure entertainment with plenty of laughs.

In Series 3, our Radio Play has a change of name to the Devious Digit of Destiny.  Our characters are gathered for the announcement of the end of the war, reflecting on how they survived those tough years, and - in the case of our bumbling gangsters - how they turned a quid, illegally of course! We've said goodbye to Hank the Yank Tank, and to Maurice, Enzo, and Dazza.  Now wait til you meet the incomers - oh my!  Our bent bunch will be playing both sides of the fence and in some pretty dicey buildings, like; parliament house; the Duck for Cover Club; and a dubious pie shop.  

 The 1940s had some beautiful music and some fascinating stories to share.  Be part of the fun over the May/June weekend.
3 shows:   May 31st 8pm + June 2nd 5pm at the Rex theatre  +
 June 1st 2pm at the Dungeon.
Email for bookings:  bookings@maureen.com.au
GO TO THE WIRELESS CHRONICALS  PAGE FOR A REHEARSAL MINI-CLIP

THEY'RE BACK!

Yup, those whacky characters Squiffy Naylor, Fat Freddy, Insp. Faulkner and Fifi la More are returning this year for the THIRD series of 
.......THE WIRELESS CHRONICLES. 

But before I release the frantic antics of their latest escapades, there'll be an encore showing of Series Two: Bottoms UP!  (for those who missed it last year - OR - who saw it last year and want the opportunity to see it again!)  You can catch just 2 performances of Bottoms UP!  on May 3/8pm and May 5/5pm at the Royal Exchange Salon Theatre.  Book tickets on 4929 4969
 ............In the third series - Armed and Languorous - we see some new characters joining the farcical flock which has been finding innovative ways to turn an illegal quid during the war years.  We meet up with the bent bunch at the announcement of peace and discover that there's been quite a few changes.  And some devious new doings.  As we traverse between parliament house, police headquarters, the Duck for Cover Club, and - the pie shop?! - we meet a 
few new characters playing both sides of the game.  Get ready for a new batch of laughs.  
May 31, June 1, June 2  at the ReX and The Dungeon.
..........................................
The Wireless Chronicles is a series of four live shows set as a live broadcast from a radio station during the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s. Each show comprises: Music and stories of the people and times from each decade; interspersed by 6 consecutive episodes of a Radio Play set in Sydney during the decade – a Crime Farce based around the ongoing escapades of Squiffy Naylor [4^th cousin 6 times removed of infamous Melbourne gangster Squizzy Taylor] and his gang of misfits, local brothel and bar owner Fifi La More, and her paramour Faulkner of the Constabulary, along with various questionable characters.
Written by local Playwright and Author Maureen O’Brien, delivered with a troupe of 6 players and musicians, all sharing the various voices. Audience participation is encouraged.

Paint my world Pink!

Golly gosh!  There's so many musical initiatives happening round here lately that it's hard even for ME to keep up with it all.  Some of the highlights though, over the last month have been;

• Finished recording the new album and decided on a title.  Dollars are so tight though that I've had to opt for doing my own album artwork rather than hire the person I wanted to do it for me.  I've also had to defer getting the first run done until I've got a few more shekels in the bank!  sigh!  the life of an impoverished muso - always new challenges!
• the Women Upfront concert last Saturday night - which was also a fundraiser for Heart Magazine Heart Magazine - was a winner!  It was just great to see so many women performers up there putting their work forward.  It was a great turnout ...and wonder of wonders, I had so many helpers that everything just ran like clockwork.  No stress for me!!  Did a few songs of the new album and got great response [and that's always satisfying]
• and the new chorus group that I'm coaching - Found - also found their voices on Saturday night and put in a "pearler" of a performance.  There's so much work that goes into pulling such a group together but it is SO satisfying.  And they're a great bunch of people - weekly rehearsals are always a hoot.

So in the next issue, I want to share more with you about the new album ....some of the songs and the stories .... and test out the cover piccie!  So stand by - you might win a copy of the new recording.

In the meantime, it's head down tail up working on the next projects - the Multifaith Concert which I'm organising in Newcastle for Mattara next week;  the Folk In Broke festival is only a matter of weeks away - see more at Folk in Broke festival; the next Savoy Supper Club is going to be just a top night - check the blog in the next few days for new info on that -  Savoy Supper Club ;  as well as 2 new shows coming up at the Royal Exchange theatre in December "Krackers"  - check it out at Royal Exchange Salon Theatre Newcastle  .  Gee I might even catch up on some sleep after Christmas!

ciao bella!

The HIghs and Lows of playing LIVE

OMG  ...you know, you go along your merry way thinking that all's well, then - when you least expect it -  the Universe pulls the rug out from under you .....and that's what happened at the Savoy Supper Club last week when I absolutely crucified my mini-set of 4 songs!!  Played 'em hundreds of times over half a dozen years then all of a sudden, out of the blue, my brain gets stuck in the logistics of the night and there was no room left to concentrate on my own music!!

It was a good shake-up wake-up call to remind me that she who tries to juggle too many balls at the one time without sufficient preparation is doomed to disaster!   So I just have to accept that when I'm in the drivers seat, I can't be navigator and chauffeured princess all at the same time.  Damn.  Guess performing is going to have to take a back seat for the next couple of months.  So is songwriting.

Now,  I just have to make note to myself .....2012 New Year's Resolution.......
dear Moz,  in 2012 let's get back to focusing on what YOU love to do best.  Instead of creating lots of opportunities for other musicians, let's concentrate on making and sharing YOUR music first.

Green 'n Clean

What a lovely Irish night at the RX theatre on Wednesday evening - St Pat's Eve!  And thanks to all the people who trooped out for it ....including some genuine Irish folk in town.

The feedback on Borderless was most gratifying with audience members commenting that they just loved the stories and appreciated that somebody was bringing this information to light.  For some, it was a real insight into just how influential Irish womens settlement was on Australian family and society today.  And with @ one-third of Australians claiming Irish ancestry, that's a whole lot of influence!

The audience also enjoyed some cracking Irish yarns from Clark Gormley and Catherine Knight - such accomplished storytellers! - as well as some sweet Irish songs from Bilbo.  And everyone - performers and audience alike - expressed appreciation of being able to celebrate St Pat's day [albeit in advance] in such an authentic way.

Those comments contrasted glaringly with some anecdotes related to me only last night...... "we went to 3 local pubs after work at it was ghastly!  They were all full of ugly drunks and there was NO music!!  We couldn't believe it!  What's St Paddy's day without Irish music?!" ... and this  "we found music at lunchtime in one pub but it wasn't REAL Irish music.  We were hoping to hear some traditional Irish but what we got served up was plastic paddy crap which just sooooo bad and then it deteriorated into stupid rock music sung in this ugly false accent"

I reckon it's a pretty poor indictment of local venues disrespect for their patrons.  And maybe that presents some good opportunities for alternative initiatives NEXT year.   If patrons can't get what they're looking for from their local pubs, they'll find it somewhere else.

Oh well, you know what they say .....it's an ill wind.......

what a year!

Gosh readers,
I can't begin to tell you what an extraordinary year its been musically!

From directing 2 festivals and an annual community concert.....3 tours.....writing/directing/producing my first musical.....organising local music initiatives.....supporting various fundraisers ...writing new songs.....and various commercial gigs locally.....forming a new comedy duo and writing material for it ......no wonder I'm feeling exhausted!

There's been a couple of low points but mostly some great memories made this year. I've just come back from the Folk in Broke Music Festival and am, once again, blown away by the enormous wealth of talent this country has .....largely undiscovered. And its so sad that so many of our creative souls have to go overseas to get the recognition that they so richly deserve.

My last initiative is this coming Saturday night - its Comedy Night at the RX Theatre in Newcastle - and then I'll be ready to kick back and catch up on all the social that I've missed out on this year. [can't fit it all in, can you? or can you??]

I hope you've managed to get out there and support some live music/performance a few times this year - remember that if it's not supported it will not survive...and what sort of a legacy is THAT to leave the next generation?

On Tour and Live

Just when you think you've got it all nailed in place...along comes a quirky event and all the nails pop out! And I guess that's the not-so-good, the bad, and the ugly about planning a tour. Today I learned the REAL reason why I haven't been able to secure a gig at a venue I've been wanting to play during a southern tour for some years. For years, they've fobbed me off with one reason or another instead of just coming clean and giving the real reason - which is actually a very valid rationale that I fully understand. If they'd been upfront at the start, I could simply have wiped them off my list and saved myself a lot of effort over a long time.

Many of the musicians I play with on and off will say "I don't know why you do it ..." or "I couldn't be bothered". But the reality IS when you are an independent muso with no agent or corporate support, the world doesn't beat a path to your door to hear your music! You've got to get out of the loungeroom and take the music to new audiences.

The internet certainly opens up new scope for getting your music out there - but my typical audience do not spend their lives online trawling for new music. And online listeners might listen to bits of songs but they're not likely to pay attention for the length of a live set - too many other distractions. For a lyricist like myself, you want your listener to hear the words, you want the words to make a difference to your listener.

There's nothing like bringing new music to a live audience - it's the best way for a songwriter to give a new song the taste test. A live performance allows you to actually see what sort of response the song is getting and enables you to identify how/where the lyrics or melody need tweaking. And of course, if your material isn't engaging enough to hold an audience for a full set, then you're not getting it right!

I wish there was a better way than the tremendous effort that goes into putting a tour together.....but so far, I haven't found it.

ah well, the joys of a creative life! [and I wouldn't have it any different]