Ben Tapp in Action

Indigenous sisters Mandy Muir and songbird Shelly Morris share their moving story of separation, and of finding each other again in Kakadu. Katherine rough diamond and cattleman extraordinaire Ben Tapp makes an appearance, as does scientist Ursula Zaar. Waldo the bush poet also wanders in for a cameo. With some dry humour this one hour film captures some interesting local history, and most importantly the essence of ‘living free’ in ‘The Territory’.

Phil assures us that no animals were injured in the making of ‘Places Pubs and People’, except for two magpie geese, and a Brahman steer, which were barbequed to perfection!

Places, Pubs and People is available at newsagents, bookshops and some roadhouses or online at www.redhen.com.au

Giant puppets in the Desert Harmony Festival 2009 street parade.

Inspired by the multitude of local talent they saw in the remote territory township and surrounding communities in the Barkly region, residents from Plam perry and Graham Buxton Orchestrated  the first ever Desert harmony Festival.

The yesr was 1989 and  like all great ideas the name came to Pam in the shower. “We wanted the name the celebrated the town’s culture diversity through dance, performance , street parades and Markets, music and art as well as the harmonious environment that Tennant creek residents enjoy” said Pam.

It was without a doubt a major success with Indigenous   brands such as kulumindini and the ironic Tableland drifters joining the local acts over the coming years.

“We thought it would be just a one-off, but the festival proved so popular the following year we thought we better hire a coordinator abd it sort of snowballed from there” said Pam.

Now two decades on the Desert Harmony Arts and Culture festival is the major culture event of the year and come the end of August the community and Barkly Regional Arts, which took over the Festival in 2008, will be moving into top gear to celebrate its 21^st Anniversary.

Festival coordinator 2010 Jacqui Dawborn said this year’s program is jam packed with rich tapestry of events breaking new life in to the community.

“It’s about bringing people together to enjoy and experience the wide range of cultural and artistic activities in a harmonious environment ,” said Jacqui. “Over the nine days visitors are invited to stay and share in the music, film festivals, visual arts, performance, poetry, traditional dance , circus and other festivities.

28th August sayurday night
MANDINKA SOUND two melbourne based west African acts, one africa and Muhanamwe

3rd September friday night
YOUTH PERFORMANCE

4th September Saturday morning
ARTISTS OF THE BARKLY MARKET PLACE
LAUNCH OF BARKLY ARTISTS COLLBARATIVE INSTALLATION

4th September Saturday night
DANCESITE 2010 presented by ArtbackNT

5th September Sunday
FESTIVAL SHOWCASE
featuring local bands from Bakly

Her new album “Nirvana Nights” is due for release in early August, with a Darwin Festival appearance later in the month to launch it. Nirvana Nights is the follow up to the singer-songwriters’ self-titled debut, which earned her the title of “Best Emerging Artist” of 2007’s Northern Territory Music Award, so expectations are high. That same year she was also hand-picked to perform the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, and has since played shows nation-wide, including appearances at Woodford Folk Festival.

But even after playing in front of thousands of people, Leah still loves to play small shows back home. She modestly explains; “I live and work full time in Darwin so I can’t say I feel any different playing a bigger festival to a venue like the Happy Yess. At the end of the day you’re putting on a show for people and you just hope the audience get as much out of the experience that you do as the performer.”

Leah will be touring nationally again in September and October to support the new album, which she describes as being more self-focused. “This album focuses more on me as a songwriter and with less ‘band’ influence. The songs are mellower and the arrangements are more devised around the melody and lyric.”

As well as a different approach to writing, her confidence in the studio has resulted in a much more enjoyable experience. “I have a lot more recording experience now from when I recorded the first album which made the process less stressful and a lot more fun. I also hired an amazing Melbourne band consisting of Liz Stringer, Grant Cummerford, Matt Earl, Melanie Robinson, Harry Angus and the very lovely Netanela Mizrahi.”

Leah Flanagan will launch “Nirvana Nights” at Darwin Festival’s Lighthouse on Thu 26 Aug at 7pm, with special guests Liz Stringer (Vic), Melanie Robinson (WA), Brian Manning and Jimi Bonne. For national tour dates and samples from her new album,

Visit:  www.myspace.com/leahflanagan

by Angus Cameron Image courtesy Peter Eve.

Yolgnu artists Djambawa and Marrirra Marawili, Marrnyula Mununggurr and Mulkun and Liyawaday Wirrpanda were joined by visiting artists Fiona Hall, John Wolseley, Jorg Schmeisser and Judy Watson. Workshop facilitators included printmaker Basil Hall, ethno-biologist Glenn Wightman, anthropologist Professor Howard Morphy and photographer Peter Eve.

The project was designed to create the opportunity for the artists to share knowledge and observations of the natural environment from a range of cultural viewpoints, including the holistic perspective of Yolngu people.

During the first few days at Yilpara, elders and rangers introduced the group to the area. Community leader Djambawa Marawili and Howard Morphy led an introductory walk through important burial grounds and significant sites along the beach, including an immense sand sculpture of Lulumu, the stingray that created the billabongs and coastline.

The visitors were shown important intertidal zones where fresh water combines with salt water, mixing through the flood plains and estuaries that provide the basis of many Yolgnu metaphors and associations for the origins of creation and continuing life. In turn Glenn Wightman, an ethno-biologist with over 20 years’ experience in Northern Australia, collected plant species and discussed traditional plant and animal use with rangers, traditional owners and artists.

While the visitors were out bush, printmaker Basil Hall set up a temporary print workshop at the community visitor centre. The work of the Yolgnu artists contains the enormous strength and power of their forefathers. Each artist is responsible for documenting the stories of their clan. For Djambawa Marawili it is Baru, the ancestral crocodile. The spiritual places of the Baru are the estuaries and flood plains where crocodiles build their nests. Djambawa uses the Madarrpa clan’s traditional diamond designs to represent the story of the Baru. Other artists depicted explicit places, plants and animals incorporating miny’tji, or sacred designs which form the underlying connections and language of the Yolgnu world.

In response, each of the visiting artists depicted the experience in their own way, working with cultural autonomy and individual style. Each artist engaged deeply and enigmatically with the rich coastal environment, spending much time wandering, collecting and photographing.

Finally, the artists spent many further hours at Basil Hall Editions developing and resolving images in Darwin and in their own studios and art centre. The project culminated in an exhibition of limited edition etchings, which will be launched at 24HRArt: NT Centre for Contemporary Art.

Darwin Rondalla | Photography - Glenn Campbell

In April 1993 the Darwin Rondalla was formed specifically to perform the music for a play by Gary Lee Keep Him My Heart that told of his grandparents’ romance in the 1930s. Gary and his chief collaborator in the project, Bong Ramillo, were determined that Darwin audiences hear the sound of a Darwin rondalla or string band as part of the telling of the Larrakia- Filipino family love story.

‘String’ or rondalla bands were the music Darwin danced to in the 1930s and an unmistakable musical style surfaced which blended traditional and popular styles of the period. Now Darwin audiences will have the chance to hear the music of the Darwin rondalla once again accompanying Gary and Bong as they read excerpts from this Larrakia- Filipino Love Story.

Sun 15 Aug | 7.30pm | The Lighthouse

Then on the final night of the Festival you can step back in time once more with Ali Mills and members of the Top End Folk Club and relax into festivities reminiscent of the days of old Darwin and Parap Camp’s Sunshine Club.

Just after WW2 many of the evacuees who returned to Darwin from safer destinations down south moved into Parap Camp. Around 60 families lived in the camp, in what is now Stuart Park, in a number of Sidney Williams huts vacated by the Army. It became a mixed-race community of Indigenous, Filipino, Torres Strait Islander, Polynesian, and Greek backgrounds.

At least two families lived in each Sidney Williams hut at Parap Camp and the huts were almost close enough to touch.

Despite the tough times there was an active social life. People joined together to share their meagre resources, to play sport, dance, gamble and work. Hosted in Parap Parish Town Hall, the Sunshine Club was the centre of a strong and enduring shared cultural life. The Sunshine Club has given Darwin a unique and wonderful, music and dance heritage. You can learn the famous Darwin Shake Hand Dance from Ali Mills at Dancing in the Sand from 6pm, and then join Ali and the band at Club Sunshine for a celebration of that heritage.

Sun 29 Aug | 9.15pm | The Lighthouse

Not since the early 00’s has there been a strong heavy metal community in Darwin. Those who lived here around that time might remember seeing regular shows at Browns Mart, the Uni or the infamous Noonamah parties. Since then, there hasn’t been much to appease metalheads. Last year, a rented shed in Berrimah drew attention for hosting metal parties called Bloodshed, and
inviting bands and musicians to play. Bloodshed closed its doors in August, but people had been stirred and wanted more regular metal gigs.

Top End Terror started out producing and promoting metal gigs at the Happy Yess in September last year, and have since done gigs at Darwin Community Arts in Malak, Brown’s Mart and Happy Yess. In March, the first TerrorFest showcase featured eight local metal and rock acts with a fantastic crowd of 250 in attendance. This time around, a total of eighteen bands (9 rock and 9 metal) will feature across two stages within Brown’s Mart, doubling the scope of the first TerrorFest.

Vicious Apathy, who will be headlining the metal stage, will be returning from an 8 month performance hiatus. Being one of Darwin’s longest-running metal bands they’re keen to get back on stage and give it everything. Songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Steve DeVries considers it a new start for the band, who have been through several incarnations over the years due to lineup
changes.

“I feel like these guys are really serious about it,” claims Steve. “We’re all having fun but now we want to take it further, travel around and do shows wherever people will take us. That would make us feel like we’re doing something worthwhile.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting back on stage with these guys. Rehearsals have been going well, but it’s all going to come together in the live setting. Ultimately that’s why we do it. Our main goals now are getting the songs tight, doing as many gigs as possible, and then hopefully recording an EP, because we’ve been around too long to not have any recordings available.”

TerrorFest II will be held at Brown’s Mart on June 19, with doors open at 5:30pm and bands from 6:00pm. See music listings on pg 21 for full band lineup. See www.TopEndTerror.com for more information.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
• June 19 – TerrorFest II @ Brown’s Mart
• July 2 – Descent tour @ Jabiru Sports and Social Club
• July 3 – Descent tour @ Katherine (TBA)
• July 10 – Bloodshed Resurrection @ Brown’s Mart
• July 30 – Descent tour @ Tennant Creek (TBA)
• July 31 – Descent tour @ Todd Tavern, Alice Springs

*Descent tour features Vicious Apathy, Abysm and FEMA

Story By Nico Liengme

“They pick you up and carry you on a wave of energy,excitement and poignancy that never relents…” (John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald).

Monsieur Camembert shows have become synonymous with an atmosphere of celebration, spontaneity and cultural enrichment. Their signature sounds of wild gypsy rhythms of Eastern Europe with Klezmer, Latin, tango and jazz are irresistibly danceable but this Darwin performance offers even more…

Monsieur Camembert takes it one step further with their performance at Sky City on Sunday July 4 as part of Sunset and Starts concert series. From the arrangements, through to the instruments, each musician will speak about their particular approach and inspiration as well imparting a few technical secrets! The band members collectively will illustrate their very original approach to the many styles that they perform.

The audience will be fully immersed in an interactive Monsieur Camembert experience, and are encouraged to ask questions, and through informal chat and demonstrations, Monsieur Camembert will impart the techniques, ideas, and joy of performing not only their styles of music, but music in general.

Contact the Action Station on 8943 8777 for ticket sales and enquiries or go to www.skycitydarwin.com.au for more information.

Josh was born in Adelaide but his family is from the Northern Territory’s Barkly Tablelands and he is one of the most exciting young guitarists to emerge recently from the NT’s music scene. The blues have always been in Josh, “I’ll being doing this ‘till the day I die, that’s how it is for me playing the blues.” With a voice well beyond his years – and a couple of record deals already under his belt – Josh’s star is certainly rising as a solo artist. But Josh is clear that the Darwin Blues Festival is not about him. Rather he speaks with absolute conviction when it comes to the blues, proclaiming the Darwin Blues Festival to be an act of homage to all legendary blues musicians that have inspired him and spent their working lives to create what we know today as The Blues.

The festival is a platform to showcase local hardened blues acts, with three days of FREE gigs around town, culminating in a ticketed concert at the Darwin Ski Club on Sunday 27th June. Local bands include Josh Thomas & Cold Turkey, Love Handles, and the Striker Blues Band just to name a few. he Blues Festival Concert at the Darwin Ski Club will be headlined by one of the greatest tribute acts around, Purple Haze – The Jimi Hendrix Tribute Show, guaranteed to melt your heart with all your favorites. Don’t be alarmed if you see an odd number of patrons donning suits, gangster hats and dark glasses on the eve of the concert, the theme this year is after all Blues Brothers. Book a ticket to the concert and go into the draw to win a Fender Squire guitar or if drumming is more your thing, register for the drum solo competition. For more information on the festival program of events email darwinbluesfestival@gmail.com

• THURSDAY 24TH JUNE

Mindil Beach Markets
6:30pm – 9:30pm

• FRIDAY 25TH JUNE

Groove Cafe, Nightcliff,
7:30pm – 10:30pm

• SATURDAY 26TH JUNE

Bogarts Cocktail Lounge, Parap
7:30 – Late

• FESTIVAL SUNDAY 27TH JUNE

Darwin Ski Club

Red Plum & Snow – Small Songs

Red Plum and Snow - Small Songs album cover

Kim Orchard

Kim Orchard - Rags to Rugs EP cover

Garrangali Band

Garrangali Band Album Cover