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Mic Conway's National Junk Band

Junk Band - Vaudeville Club

Expect the unexpected as these “virtuosos of the bizarre” create a live stage experience that must be seen and heard to be believed. Jug band blues, political satire and lunatic on-stage antics combine as a new-vaudevillian comedy cabaret. Audiences know Mic Conway’s tongue-in-cheek style from “Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band” and “Circus Oz”. From Byron Bay BluesFest to Port Fairy and Woodford Folk Festivals to Adelaide Cabaret Festival and The Famous Spiegeltent … the National Junk Band have become festival favourites for their unique collision of illusion, passion, irreverent satire, fire, magic, singing saws, flying chooks, musical mayhem and some very funny songs. Wielding National guitars, ukuleles, sousaphone, phono-fiddle, garbage cans and even the kitchen sink, there really is nothing like them in Australia today.

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Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band Re-Ignited + Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson

Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band Re-Ignited + Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson
Time: Doors open at 7pm. Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson are opening the night, then Captain Matchbox will take us to midnight!
Tix: $50 full, $40 concession, $30 children under 16 yrs
Bookings: http://www.trybooking.com/BCAQ

 

Inspired by early jug band music and jazz recordings they heard on reel-to-reel tapes as teenagers, brothers Mic Conway and Jim Conway formed a raggle-taggle group which grew from an underground art school band to a national icon, with a cult following, film and television appearances, Top 10 hits and two Gold Records.
From 1970-1980, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band toured the length and breadth of Australia, performing more than 2,000 shows, supported by the likes of Skyhooks, Cold Chisel, Split Endz and others along the way.
They were a very odd sock in the glam-rock world and Aussie pub scene. Their debut LP “Smoke Dreams” went to Gold in 1972 and was released in the USA. This year, “Smoke Dreams” has been listed among The 100 Best Australian Albums. Their second LP “Wangaratta Wahine” featured a classic cover design by Michael Leunig which won the award for Album Cover of the Year in 1974. Assisted by their memorable first appearance on Countdown performing “Wangaratta Wahine”, this album became their biggest success. In 2010, at the request of Woodford Folk Festival, a hot 8-piece band has been built around Mic and Jim Conway and is set to present the songs, silliness and satire from the Matchbox repertoire including “My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes”, “That Cat is High”, “Smoke Dreams”, “Half a Moon”, “Hernando’s Hideaway”, “Nagasaki”, “Sophisticated Mama”, “Who Walks in When I Walk Out?” and many more.
The reincarnated Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band deployed a broader brand of humour amid expert musicianship, and its endlessly cavorting leader, Mic Conway, has found an ideal foil in violinist George Washingmachine.
: John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald, March 2011.

 

PLUS.... HAT FITZ AND CARA ROBINSON:  one of Australia’s festival favourites and perennial showstopper Hat Fitz is now joined on stage by Northern Ireland’s critically acclaimed vocalist extraordinaire and multi instrumentalist Cara Robinson on drums, washboard, flute and tin whistle.
Countries including Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany can’t get enough of their live performances and although their debut independent release, the critically acclaimed and ARIA nominated “Beauty ’n the Beast” is already considered by many to be a classic it’s experiencing one of their live shows that’s exciting audiences.
The blending of pre war hill country and delta blues with traditional Celtic and early Australian folk has produced a truly unique musical style that’s seen fans world wide drift off into the early morning, often drenched with sweat and always covered in smiles.
Sometimes referred to as “Aussie mongrel Celt tinged blues” ... you’ll soon appreciate what all the fuss is about.
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Mic Conway & Robbie Long with Liz Frencham

Mic Conway

Stripped back, irreverent and shameless, Mic Conway of the legendary
"Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band" and the infamous "Mic Conway's National
Junk Band" has teamed up with one of Australia's finest guitarists and
driest wits - Robbie Long. From Darwin Festival to Melbourne Cabaret
Festival, it's a circus of comedy, magic and music - idiosyncratic songs
that will make your jaw drop, toes tap and sides split. Featuring some
Matchbox favourites like “My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes” and an
hilarious version of Tom Lehrer's classic, "Masochism Tango".
They have been in the studio during winter, cooking up a duo album.
www.micconway.com

The lovely Liz Frencham will be opening the evening ... peforming her
gorgeous serenades.
www.myspace.com/lizfrencham
See Mic and Liz dueting "Paper Moon" :
youtube.com/watch?v=9MLp5KCekxY

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Program 2003

In 2003 Spike Mason once again curated a huge series of concerts mostly jazz and world music with some amazing vocalists.  It would be six more years before any of us found the energy to organise a series of this standard, running for this long.

1st may

Tempo di Tango :: string tango trio

8th may

Michael Kahr :: folk piano jazz

15th may

Dr Aimless :: jazz-pop fusion
TUFA :: southeast asian electronica

22nd may

Java Quartet :: dark melodic acoustic jazz

29th may

Sarah Blasko :: seductive woman of pop
Lady Jane :: acoustic mellow rock

5th june

Khayal ::classical nth indian vocal music

12th june

Louise Perryman :: soothing, siren, sensual soul
Deborah Dicembre :: acoustic rock

19th june

Hevahl :: kurdish folk, trance grooves
Eastern Music Ensemble :: indian classical

26th june

Geospace :: jazz sax quartet - Alfredo Lopes

3rd july

The Splinter Orchestra :: 20 piece improvisation group

10th july

Aris Kartsonas Project :: original jazz guitar ensemble

17th july

Barney Wakeford Group :: piano jazz

31st july

Paul McNamara & Friends :: jazz piano, solo, duo, trio

7th august

Andy Bull :: intelligent nu-soul songs
Mbahago :: spike's got a new daughter

14th august

Mic Conway's National Junk Band :: post millenial vaudevillian cabaret

21st august

Selah :: album launch - 10 piece jazz

28th august

Tom Waits Tribute :: many songsters and songs

 

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