Tickets:
$10
Come and experience the magic of no less than 6 great songwriters over three acts. Featuring John Fox, Alanna Eagan and Peter Baylor and Gerry Smith & The Well Oiled Machine Band.
A collection of Melbourne's finest disabled and abled musicians coming together to celebrate each others unique story and play the songs they have written and covers that resonate with them. Artists include Alanna Egan who's velvety tones will take you on a beautiful trip through the roaring 20's and 30's accompanied by Peter Baylor, our headliner for the evening starting at 10pm. John Fox coming on first at 8pm, singing songs about his life accompanied by his satirical wit and keyboard and Gerry Smith coming on second at 9pm accompanied by Eric McCusker (from Mondo Rock) and Jake Mason (writer of This Girl European hit) Gerry will be singing the songs he wrote about his life featuring his co-writers as instrumentalists.
John Fox: is a songwriter and musician living in Brunswick, Melbourne. His primary instrument is Piano and he has been playing Melbourne’s music scene since the mid 2000’s. In 2006, he took the music to the streets and has been busking Melbourne’s northern suburbs ever since. John has released 3 full length original albums and featured on an episode of ‘An Otherwise Quiet Room’ hosted by Mandy Connell, an online video series showcasing talented Melbourne songwriters and the venues they play. John is an admired musician whose talents, personal narrative and satirical wit draws the passing pedestrian into a soundscape of lived experience through adversity.
Alanna Egan and Peter Baylor bring to life the golden era of classic jazz from the 1920’s – 40’s. Their rich repertoire features vintage dance music of the roaring twenties’ flappers; timeless, romantic jazz ballads; hot swing and sweet New Orleans’ blues. Vocalist Alanna Egan has a velvety tone influenced by classic jazz singers such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Julie London and more. Australia’s answer to Django Rienhardt, Eddy Lang and Charlie Christian, guitar King Peter Baylor illuminates the nuances of jazz, hillbilly, Western swing, Gypsy, folk and country.
Gerry Smith & the Well Oiled Machine Band: After busking for years (in his amazing motorized wheelchair), and chipping away at the recording of his album, Gerry Smith was awarded a grant by Music Victoria in 2021. The purpose of the grant Gerry received originally was to tour disability homes and care facilities with the aim of bringing music to people in the disabled community. However, after having to pivot several times during the long lockdowns of COVID, the grant was used to help Gerry and his team of award-winning musicians to record the songs for his debut album and to make videos of the process and the songs. The studio sessions were wonderful, inspiring and rewarding times, as everyone collaborated to bring Gerry’s vision to fruition. The idea of starting a band, (Eric McCusker had the idea of calling the band Gerry’s Smith’s Well Oiled Machine), to tour to the centres, to spread the special results of the collaborations and perhaps also open new horizons and inspire others in confidence in their own creativity and abilities.