Past Event
Sunday Showcase
11th Mar 2012
Presenter: Lord Uke
Website:
Event Duration: 465 minutes
3:45PM Lauren LaRouge
Lauren LaRouge is proud to be Australia’s only ukulele toting Cabaret / Burlesque performer! Since 2007 she has been ambushing audiences with her larger than stage personality often breaking the barrier between performer and audience to the delight and terror of the crowd. She has been described as a professional spinster, a dragqueen trapped in a woman’s body, a tyrant and a siren with the looks of an angel and the mouth of a sailor. Armed with a liver full of Gin, a fist full of rhinestones and more than a handful of Ukulele watch out because this firecracker is coming at you!
4:10PM Mysterious Mose
Who's got a freshly tweaked, exciting new line up? Who's now adding honky-tonk piano, mandolin, harmonica and a different banjo style to the old ukes, washboard, bass, slide, guitar, kazoo, jug and 6 vocals (is there any instrument this lot isn't playing?)? Who's still strutting their playful, cheeky, toe-tapping blend of classic 1920s & 30s Jug tunes with early blues, hokum, jazz & old time, all gift wrapped in dapper, flapper and bar-room queen costumerie?
It's a mystery! In fact it's so mysterious that it can only be - Ta Dah! - Mysterious Mose! They're drawn from all over Victoria like bees to honey - so why not fly on over & join in the buzz!!"
4:50PM Renee Searles
Bringing to the stage a touch of glamour and mystique from a bygone era, Renee Searles writes elegant sepia-tinged songs of love, longing and desire. With the voice of an angel, she weaves an ethereal tapestry of lush melodies, lilting poetry and old timey blues.Accompanied by Marcus Patterson on guitars/ukuleles/lap steel and her tiny friend the ukulele, these two lovers of dance breathe life into the lost words of the human heart……cheeky, romantic and heartachingly beautiful.
5:30PM Rose Turtle Ertler
Rose Turtle Ertler loves the ukulele. She loves it when people play it nude through distortion pedals with a Marshall stack. She also loves visiting ukulele clubs in small towns, especially when their meetings include a spread of asparagus rolls, lamingtons and pavlovas. Rose has been playing for over twelve years, at first through a range of noisy effects pedals, but as she gradually started to learn some fancy strumming patterns, the pedals were cast aside. Rose is often joined on stage by other musicians who happen to be in the room at the time and who are willing to play along with one of her wonky folk songs.
6:00PM Intermission
7:15PM Liz Wood (USA)
Liz Wood’s sound is unique and perhaps an acquired taste, but between the yodels and screeches her voice is sweet, with ukulele skills to match. Based out of Massachusetts, Liz sells ukuleles at the oldest specialty toy shop in America. She can be found playing in the streets of Boston and Harvard Square.
Quote: “I never expected to get any good at the ukulele, I just wanted to show people I could sing a song. It’s a great treat to play a stringed instrument. As a child I watched my dad play the guitar and thought I’d never be able to do that.” There’s no doubt Liz Wood is a talented individual with a bright future ahead of her. Find her on YouTube
8:00PM Betty’s Driving Force
Betty is back with a vengeance. You are invited to go down the rocky road of bitter twisted and raw emotion with her. More heartbroken than ever she intends to take her frustrations out on you again this year at MUF. With some new tunes and some fresh wounds to open up we’ll get to the bottom of it together. Have no fear though, this girl has guts, but be prepared to plunge the depths of despair with Betty and The Force that drives her.
8:45PM Marmaduke (NZ)
Marmaduke are a 7 piece uke group from Auckland , NZ. From a variety of musical backgrounds a common love of the little ukulele and pinot noir has brought them together. They come armed with a large handful of toe-tapping original tunes and a quirky bunch of covers - all with a bit of a twist. From jazz to funk, country to disco, from a Creole version of an 80’s classic through to a punk tune turned bosa nova – they’re guaranteed to get you grooving.
Mary Cornish, Rees Tapsell, Jacinta Morrison, Geoff Brogan and Nick Edgar are the uke/vocal department, anchored by the rhythm section of Glen Coldham (Bass) and Gary Hunt (the every-growing Percussion Tree) . Nick Edgar adds effect pedals and harmonica from time to time while Mary Cornish entertains the group (and the audience) by juggling uke, vocals, additional percussion, xylophone and the mighty melodica.
9:35PM Irwell Street String Band
The Irwell Street String Band features the delightfully vintage voiced Hetty Kate backed by the master ukulele (and guitar) of Sam Lemann, the warm shuffling rhythm guitar of Andy Baylor and the swinging, sonorous double bass of Leigh Barker.
With their toe-tapping debut album “A Late Brunch on Irwell Street” (2009) this Australian based foursome won rave reviews for its effervescent take on classics and curios from the Great American Songbook alongside South-of-the-Border standards. Comparisons were drawn to the great vocalist/guitar combos of Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour or Barney Kessel and Julie London.
Individually they have performed around the world from New York to Santiago to Tokyo. Since forming the Irwell Street String Band in 2008 they have been a popular fixture of the Melbourne jazz scene, as well as being heard regularly on ABC radio in Australia and BBC Radio 2 in the UK. Having just recorded a second album, “11:60pm”, The Irwell Street String Band is set to continue charming its growing audience with a unique sound that’s sophisticated, sunny and light as air.