b.entertained issue 23
DESCRIPTION
b.entertained Issue 23 February 11, 2011TRANSCRIPT
entertained
issue 23|Friday February 11,2011|FREE
alivealivealivetonight
+ G Love and Plutonic + Book Club + Derek Guille + Food Fossickers + Film-maker Luke Launer plus
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49 BRIDGE STREET, BENDIGO PHONE 5443 7811
Fri Feb 11th 9pm Mystery Betts
Sun Feb 13th 2-5pmAndy Garlick Duo
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05.
05. 06.Cover: Tonight Alive2. Seven Days I Gig Guide I Film Review3. Tonight Alive4. Derrick Guille5. G Love and Plutonic I Luke Launer7. Food Fossickers I Sound Off8. Book Club I In Brief
entertainedentertained
gigguideFriday, February 11
Newmarket HotelGoodbye Atlantis/ Transit9pm
Basement BarChris Meek9pm- FREE
Bridge HotelMystery Bets9pm- FREE
Pugg MahonesRewind11pm
Shamrock Hotel KynetonTriggermen9pm- FREE
Old Hepburn HotelLive Music- See venue for details
Saturday. February 12
Golden Vine HotelPreston Perche/ TJ9pm
Newmarket HotelAlarum/ Evilution/The Stricklands9pm- $9
Basement BarMike Elrington9pm- FREE
Drover’s ArmsKim Ritchie8pm- FREE
Pugg MahonesActivate11pm
Old Hepburn HotelLive Music- See venue for details
Sunday February 13
Basement Bar‘Open Mic’ with Deano5pm- FREE
Marong Family HotelLeigh Turner12.30-4pm- FREE
Cambrian HotelRick Diamond3pm- FREE
Golden Vine HotelSunday Sessions with Bel and Jon4-7pm- FREE
Bridge HotelThe Grinners2-5pm- FREE
One Tree Hill HotelRegular Joes2pm- FREE
Old Hepburn HotelRory Ellis4pm- $10
Tuesday February 15
Golden Vine HotelJam SessionFrom 8.30pm- FREE
Wednesday February 16
Guildford Family HotelFolk NightFrom 8pm- FREE
Thursday February 17
Newmarket HotelJam SessionFrom 9.30pm- FREE
b.entertained 02|Friday, February 11, 2011
Rating: MA15+Staring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin BreznahanDirector: Debra GranikDrama
review.
Winter’s Bone
ONE of American � lm-making’s greatest achievements is its ability to tackle confronting aspects of its culture.
Way back in the art-form’s history, US cinema was not afraid of portraying the darker side of American life as well as the more positive great dream that was supposedly achievable through the country’s form of democracy and market economy.
Winter’s Bone manages to achieve an uplifting outcome on American life but travels an awfully dark path to get there.
The � lm is set against absolute rural poverty in a modern time frame.
Instead of supplying urban markets with produce, Winter Bone’s dirt-poor Ozark Mountain region in Missouri is locked into a totally di� erent rural/urban relationship providing methamphetamine to the drug trade via a network of illegal processing labs.
The intense screenplay, by director Debra
Granik and producer Anne Rosselini, is based on Daniel Woodrell’s book of the same name.
The � lm’s central character is a 17-year-old girl, Ree Dolly (played exceptionally well by Jennifer Lawrence).
With a mentally-unwell mother, Ree has to raise her younger sister and brother as her father is missing after being involved in the illegal meth trade and consequent police action.
To complicate her di¡ cult predicament, Ree has a deadline to � nd her father so as to stop her family house being impounded by bond hunters.
Ree’s will to survive is inspiring and her bond to her immediate family is extraordinary. To accentuate the strong relationship, the writers have set the plot among a community where most are related to each other.
However, the code of silence required for illegal drug manufacture takes precedence over family blood ties, leaving Ree with few allies.
Lawrence’s work is brilliant and she has been rewarded with a best actress nomination at this month’s Academy
Awards.She nails the character and captures the
audience’s allegiance with inspiration rather than sympathy.
This is Lawrence’s � lm despite being ably supported by � ne work by her fellow actors. However, none comes close to her performance, making it di¡ cult to see John Hawkes getting the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role as Teardrop.
With a minuscule budget of just $2 million, Granik has skilfully managed to capture the hardship and bleak existence the story demands.
Michael McDonough’s cinematography is dark and cold with some wonderfully illustrative locations being used.
Dickon Hinchli� e’s music not only captures the Missouri rural setting but it is also an important part of the drama build.
This � lm has been around a long time, opening in the US more than a year ago. Although it has taken far too long to come to Australia, it has been worth the wait as it is an exceptional piece of cinematography.Robert’s Rating: 8 ½ stars out of 10
robert gibson
Friday, February 11Old Time DanceGreat music by Rita Mullins. Admission $7. Lucky Door, Monte Carlo, Lucky Spot Prizes, Ra¤ e. A plate of supper would be appreciated. Lockwood South Hall, Lockwood. Contact 5435 3587 or 5443 4887.Sidewalk Astronomy.Take a look at the Moon through the BDAS ‘Galileo’ ten inch telescope! See craters, hills and mountains. Guaranteed to impress! Bring the family for a fun night of viewing.Another great evening hosted by the Bendigo District Astronomical Society.9pm at Discovery Science & Technology Centre, weather permitting.A gold coin donation appreciated. Contact Brien Blackshaw on 5447 7690.
Saturday, February 12Strath� eldsaye Uniting Church Monthly Car Boot Sale.A variety of stalls from household goods, plants, paintings. New stall-holders welcome, please contact Kerri on 0428 515 799. Come along and � nd a bargain. Wellington Way, Strath� eldsaye. 8am-1pm.
Sunday, February 13Girgarre Farmers Produce and Craft Market.Seasonal fruit and vegetables, gourmet sauces, preserves, honey and jams, wine and cheese, breads, cakes and slices, succulent pork and beef straight from the growers, gourmet sausages, delicious ice creams, fruit juices, a huge range of plants and a wonderful array of hand-made crafts. Live entertainment. Free tea and co� ee. More info phone Doug 0358 572 270. This is a Girgarre Development Group initiative. 8.30am-12.00 noon. Corner Winter and Station Streets.Country Music HoedownErnie Johns and Avalanche Band performing from 6.30pm – 10.00pm. Guest artist Geo� rey Graham. Golden Hills Motel, 145 Marong Road, Bendigo.Entry $5. Meals from 6.00pm. Walk-up artists welcome. Bookings phone 5443 1333.
Aussie EntertainmentA fun afternoon of fair dinkum Australiana entertainment. Traditional song/music, story telling and bush poetry. Sing-alongs for audience and comedy. Laughter assured. Features Geo� rey W Graham and many other quality performers. Free entry. From 1.30pm-4.30pm. Meals available 12pm-2pm. Enquiries: Ken 5441 5121. Bendigo Gold� elds Bush Poets Inc.
Monday, February 14Bendigo Writers’ CouncilBWC invite you to a Writing About Time and Place night. Hosted by Deb Wain. Learn how to make the ‘time and place‘ a really interesting part of your writing. Deb Wain is a poet who has worked with the Aardvarker poets and produced an anthology of childhood-themed poetry, Seasons of Childhood. More recently her short story, “Morning Stranger”, was published in Verandah 24 and won the Editors’ Choice Award. Where: Best Community Development BuildingSt Andrews Avenue, BendigoTime: 7pm. Cost: $5. Supper provided. Contact: Secretary Karen on 5443 3469 or Dawn on 5434 4417
Tuesday, February 15Bendigo Native Plant Group MeetingPlant Propagation Workshop, followed by supper.Visitors and newcomers most welcome. At the Golden Square Senior Citizens Club rooms, Old High Street, Golden Square, 7.30 pm.
Wednesday, February 16Golden Square Ballroom Dancing GroupWe invite all interested people to attend our sessions. Whether you are an absolute beginner, or you are looking to brush-up on your skills, you will be made most welcome. Come along and enjoy the music and the company of a very friendly group of people. Meeting in St. Mark’s Hall, at the rear of St. Mark’s Church in Panton Street, Golden Square. 7.30pm to 10 pm. Cost $5. To � nd out more, phone Keith on 5475 1066, or Lorna on 5443 0286.Meniere’s Support Group Meeting.Speaker Rod Flavell from the City of Greater Bendigo Aged and Disability services. RSL Club, Havilah Road, Bendigo. Meeting starts 2pm. For further enquiries phone Aileen on 5427 2891.
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and kickingalive
Armed with youth, great mu-sicianship and more energy than cyclone Yasi, Bendigo is in for a real treat.
Attracting almost viral hype with only one EP to their name, the youngsters announced a record deal with Sony Worldwide last year. The band arrived back in Australia about a week ago after recording their debut album in Los Angeles with legendary producer Mark Trombino (Blink 182, The Starting Line.)
Stepping away from band prac-tice to give me 10 minutes of his time, guitarist Whakaio tells us of the experience.
“We had a lot of fun in LA, the weather was amazing and everyone
in the band are best friends” Whak said.
“Working with Mark was hard, but very rewarding. He had so many great ideas...we weren’t used to hav-ing to record our instruments so per-fectly,” he laughed.
Roughly slated for a mid-June release, Whak can’t wait to have the album in his hands.
“It was hard work, so I can’t wait to have it ready... we’re a develop-ing band and our songwriting skills have definitely improved since we released our EP.
“We’ve experimented a lot more with dynamics and it’s definitely been a step forward for us as song-writers.”
After an Australia wide tour with The Getaway Plan, Tonight Alive will be returning to America to tour with pop-punk giants Forever The Sickest Kids.
“Forever The Sickest Kids are one of our favourite bands, so to be tour-ing the US with them is unbelieve-able. We’re really looking forward to it.”
A regional boy himself, Whak is stoked to be playing in Bendigo.
“I wish we could play more often in regional areas, I used to live about four hours out of Sydney in Milton and we never had anything going on musically. I hated having to travel to see Sydney so I have a soft spot for all our regional audience.”
Due to licensing restrictions, the band will be playing both an under 18 and 18+ show in Bendigo but they do wish that they could mix the audience.
“I hate that we have to split the crowds, it’s a massive restriction, es-pecially in Victoria where the laws are just plain ridiculous. But we do what we have to do, we love our un-derage fans and we’ll play to them by any means necessary,” Whak said.
One thing that has followed To-night Alive around the start has been an inevitable comparison to US pop-sters Paramore.
With unfortunate accusations of trying to copy the band, Whak had this to say; “Paramore are an awe-
some band, but we aren’t trying to copy them.
“We’re happy for people to make that comparison if they like, but we’re going to keep doing our own thing and hopefully people let the whole ‘Australian Paramore’ thing go eventually. It’s funny because when Paramore first started out everybody was accusing them of ripping off No Doubt!”
If fast, intelligent and catchy mu-sic is your thing or if the gorgeous vocallist Jenna Mcdougall is enough to warrant your attendance, Tonight Alive would be happy to have you at The MusicMan Megastore (u18) or Bender Alternative Club (The Black Swan Level 2, 18+) next Wednesday.
Bendigo, brace your-self. The Sydney pop-punk whirlwind known as Tonight Alive will be ripping through our fine city next Wednesday, Feb 16
jake schatz
b.entertained 03|Friday, February 11, 2011
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It almost didn’t happen, but luckily for his thousands of loyal listeners, Guille followed a boyhood dream, and encouraged by his wife, made his way into the world of AM.
27 years ago Guille threw in his steady retail job in Melbourne and headed to Hamilton, with young family in tow.
“My wife had asked me: ‘It was your child-hood ambition (to work on radio), is it worth giving it a bash?’, he said.
“We shifted everything in the hope that this would work, that the move into radio would be the right thing to do.
“Thank God I followed it through and thank god I married the right woman!”
So began his stint at Hamilton’s 3HA. And with so much riding on the success of his career change, the � rst few shows were tough.
“The � rst radio gig was very nerve-racking,” he said.
“It wasn’t just the � rst program but the � rst six months of what I was doing, I was nervous every night.”
“I was in my thirties and to make a decision like that in your 30s (wasn’t common), normally people have sorted what their career might be.
“This was a complete change, a whole new career path, starting at the bottom of the ladder that might not have been going anywhere. You don’t know until you’ve committed yourself to it.”
And committed he was, to a dream he held from a young age.
“I can remember as a seven-year-old listen-ing to a radio somewhere and somehow, even at that young age, appreciating the relationship between me and the broadcaster,” he said.
He grew from adolescence into his 20s listen-ing to 3LO’s breakfast host Peter Evans or “Evans The Wireless”.
For Guille, he was “a consummate profes-sional as a broadcaster”, entranced by the rapport he crafted with his listeners.
“His relationship with the audience was just so powerful, it was remarkable,” he said.
“You would tune in every day because even though some days he was grumpy, a bear with a sore head, you still empathised with him com-pletely, and he with you.
“It was perfect radio as far as I was con-cerned.”
Guille was also given some sage advice from an ABC manager from the get-go.
“He said ‘the secret to good radio is sincerity. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made’,” he laughed.
“It’s that great reminder if I’m faking it, the audience will work it out pretty quickly.”
Guille is a huge music fan, and for the past 15 years, he’s combined playing tunes on the radio, with making his own, as a member of “jug band”, The Ugly Uncles.
Like radio, music in� ltrated his life from a young age, and never left.
“I grew up in a musical household, insofar as there was music playing constantly,” he said.
“My aunties were trained lyric sopranos, in fact my father’s older sister was trained by Dame Nellie Melba, which was passed on to her young
sister. So Melba’s education was � owing through the family.”
Guille didn’t quite inherit the soprano voice, but he still provides a handy compliment to the often � ve-voice harmony, in the eight-piece band that is the jazz, blues and folk-fused Uncles.
In keeping with the bare bones ethos of jug bands of early last century, The Uncles began pretty much on a musical whim
“It started with a haphazard ‘oh yeah we can do that’ sort of an out� t. It’s never been particu-larly professional,” he said.
The history of the jug band style is built upon jazz bands on the cheap and nasty.
“It was like street jazz for people who couldn’t a¡ ord musical instruments,” he said.
“Instead of having a bass, somebody would blow across the top of a jug.
“So it’s based around very few chords and fun.”
Which suits The Ugly Uncles down to the ground, as their tongue-in-cheek music sensibili-ties were primarily inspired by American out� t, The Cheap Suit Serenaders.
“They had a great sense of fun in their music,” he said.
“One of the philosophies of the Uncles is to have at least as much fun, if not more, than the audience is having.”
The Uncles were a hit at the recent Newstead Live! music festival, which Guille is a massive fan of.
“Newstead was gorgeous, it is a really really good festival. This year was pure fun,” he said.
His debut on stage 15 years ago was a smooth ride compared to the � rst time behind the radio mic.
“The main di¡ erence is your life and income doesn’t depend on playing in a band,” he said.
“There’s safety in numbers (with The Uncles). Playing in a band is a hobby.
“Anyone who makes money out of being in music I’m in awe of. It’s a really di¢ cult thing to do.
“Which is sad because we have some magnif-icent musicians who should be supported, who should be able to make a living out of what they do as they bring such pleasure, such emotional joy and indeed emotional awareness.
“Music is still a hobby. I’m a realist enough to know I’ll never have a number one hit, but I’ll continue to have fun. It’s just a bunch of old farts enjoying themselves.”
Through his radio show however, Guille can provide all listeners with an ampli� ed voice.
“Everybody has a right to be heard, to have their ideas discussed,” he said.
“I don’t blow them away, it’s more a case of let’s investigate what this is about, how did they come to this thought and idea.
“If you start from that concept that we’ve all got a valid starting point, the only thing we need then is an open mind.
“I love my job, I’m one of the luckiest people in the world.”
Derek Guille presents the evening program on 774 Melbourne and ABC Victoria.
A QUARTER of a century is a long time to stick with one employer.It’s an old fashioned notion by today’s standards, and the kind of dedication that doesn’t even guarantee a gold watch anymore.But for the owner of one of Australia’s smoothest radio voices, Derek Guille, he’s going nowhere in a hurry. He’s got the dream job.On January 27 this year, the 774 Melbourne and ABC Victoria evenings program host clocked up 24 years with ABC Radio.
guilleugly uncle
ben cameron
“Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Isaac Hayes, John Lord from Deep Purple and Olivia Har-rison, George Harrison’s widow, that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.“This is a list that could go on and on, I’ve had some remarkable interviews with some remarkable people.“But many of the remarkable people are those who have never made headlines and about whom great stories or movies will never be made. “Just wonderful people doing remarkable things in their own community.”Being a musician himself he has two favou-
rites: Isaac Hayes and Elvis Costello. “They are two musicians who had a reputa-tion for being di¢ cult,” he said.“Isaac always wore dark glasses, wherever he was, but halfway through our interview, we were talking about politics in Minne-sota, of all things, and Isaac actually leapt forward and took them o¡ . “It was like the conversation changed com-pletely from that moment on.“Same with Elvis, I can’t understand why anybody would have di¢ culty having a chat with Elvis Costello, he was the most generous and interesting guest.”
Guille has interviewed hundreds of people over nearly quarter of a century. So who are some of his favourites?
b.entertained 04|Friday, February 11, 2011
Guille on stage with The Ugly Uncles.
The Ugly Uncles are all about fun.
Simon Blake from Phoenix FM’s hip hop show ‘This Or That’ was on the road last week and caught up with Plutonic and G.Love just before they went on show at the Northcote Social Club on January 14.
SIMON: You’re about to play. Are you pretty pumped up?
G.LOVE: Yeah I’m pumped up on some co� ee, then I’ll move onto the Jack Daniels, so I’ll be feeling nice by showtime.
SIMON: They seem to have provided a nice little rider for you here. A few bottles of water and stu� .
G.LOVE: Nah we had to buy all our stu� ourselves (laughs).
SIMON: So how did this col-lobration with Plutonic come about?
G.LOVE: This began at a Korean barbecue restaurant in
Melbourne. Leigh’s manager was working with us on one of my re-leases, and he introduced Leigh and I and we talked about making a couple of tracks.
Leigh sent some tracks my way and I laced them up and before we even knew it we were making a record.
It was pretty exciting.
SIMON: Where you familiar with each other’s work?
G.LOVE: We both had a mu-tual respect and shared a lot of the same in� uences.
But the main thing was a love of hip hop.
It was kinda like rolling the dice and seeing what happens, seeing what we could get to click.
And straight away we got stu� to click so we just kept roll-ing with it.
SIMON: So where was the al-bum created?
G.LOVE: It happened in Leigh’s lab in Melbourne and I was doing the vocals on the mic on my computer.
For others I went to a le-git studio, some I did on the road while I was on tour in Amer-ica.
SIMON: What kind of instru-ments did you use on this album?
G.LOVE: Honestly I didn’t do too much music on it, there were a couple of tunes were Leigh would just give me a straight
beat and I would play a tune over it. Mostly it was Leigh and Chris playing over it.
Leigh was pretty much lacing everything.
There was guitars, keyboards and horns and Leigh was pretty much playing all of it.
I listened to it and I thought ‘damn, it’s going to be hard to clear all the publishing, where did he sample all this stu� from’ (laughs).
I’m not real a studio wiz so when I hear tracks like that, really dope hip hop tracks, it’s always a mystery how cats like Leigh put all of it together.
It just makes you want to rap over it. It was real easy, I was just feeling everything.
SIMON: You cover so many di� erent genres. Is this more of a hip hop recording seeing you’ve worked with Plutonic Lab?
G.LOVE: For sure, this is prob-ably the � rst true hip hop record I’ve been able to do and work with a hip hop producer of his calibre.
Everything else has been done in a live atmosphere.
It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do. Leigh is one of the big pioneers of hip hop in Australia.
It was cool to be involved with that.
SIMON: You’ve worked with pretty amazing artists like Jack Johnson, Ben Lee, who’s been the best you’ve worked with?
G.LOVE: Gift of Gab is amaz-ing. As a singer and a rapper my-self, just watching him what he can do, and how fast he can move his mouth, with all the words he’s got stored up in his head, and on top of that he’s a diabetic.
A show would take a lot out of him, he is a really gifted emcee. It was pretty cool to work with him. I’ve also done shows with Run DMC and De La Soul, it was pretty awesome to get to see those people which I’ve idolised. It was during their golden era, I’ll never forget that.
They were all so cool and supportive of what we were do-ing.
I always found the hip hop audience a really hard audience to perform in front of.
They can be so critical, es-pecially when we � rst came out, we were three white dudes with guitars and drums, most hip hop crowds didn’t want to hear us.
Q Tip was really supportive, he used to say ‘I love what you do’. One time in particular the crowd was really hating on us so bad and Q Tip came out and said ‘make some noise for G. Love and Special Sauce, they came out and did their thing’.
I always saw him like a big bro, he gave me a lot of con� dence. Plutonic and I are carrying on that golden age of hip hop sound, that native tongue sound.
SIMON: Muph n Plutonic were doing the live drumming, you guys would have been the � rst doing that in Australia?
PLUTONIC: Back in 1994 I was doing the same thing.
At the time there was no real Aussie hip hop.
Like G.Love was saying be-fore, it was like playing in front of a staunch audience, in reverse though.
We had a real hardcore rock audience . It took a long time for hip hop to be accepted.
Even from a DJ point of view, Australia is so ingrained in this whole live performance thing, a pub rock kind of thing, you have to play an instrument.
Being a DJ was a bit taboo, it’s like ‘you’re just playing somebody else’s music’.
SIMON: Hip hop is well on its way now which is good to see
PLUTONIC: Yeah it’s great to see that shift.
SIMON: OK � nally, I always love to ask this question but who would you include in a posse track, if you could choose any of your favourite performers?
G.LOVE: Whenever that ques-tion gets asked the real answer is ‘whoever is gonna bring the dopest vibe’.
You could have somebody real famous but they might not want to be there.
Moonshine Lemonade is out on February 11.
You can catch Simon Blake on hip hop show This Or That on Phoenix FM 106.7 on Mondays from 8pm to 10pm.
passion
PASSION comes with a price tag: $20,000 in this case.
Independent Bendigo � lmmaker Luke Launer (right) has just put the � nishing touches to his debut fea-ture � lm, The Count, which he bank-rolled himself.
No council or government grants for this budding Eli Roth, just plenty of blood, sweat and tears, working out at Mayfair Park.
“The overall � lm didn’t cost much, but all the equipment cost al-most $20,000,” he said.
“It was basically from just saving up for a year.”
Shot in Dimboola with the help of his brothers, The Count tells the
story of a home invasion in a remote farm house.
Launer took his cues from hand-held � icks such as Clover� eld and The Blair Witch Project.
“The goal was to create the most realistic home invasion ever wit-nessed on a hand-held video cam-era,” he said.
Like most � lmmakers, Launer had to overcome a few obstacles to get his work in the can.
“We shot for a week in June but it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to,” he said.
“So we went back to the drawing board and did another shoot in Sep-tember. I’ve been editing ever since.”
The 23-year-old auteur has been a movie bu� since high school, and since then he’s created a handy back catalogue of short � lms.
But this was his � rst stab at a fea-ture length � lm.
Although incredibly passionate, Launer has found the movie mak-ing process to be a lot harder than it looks; apart from a one week crash course in Melbourne, he’s completely self-taught.
“It might look easy, but movies are bloody di ̈ cult to make,” he said.
“I had no idea what I was in for, I thought at the start it would be a walk in the park but I underestimat-ed how much of a challenge it really was to act as well as direct.”
He started up his own produc-
tion company, Shilling Entertain-ment, back in early 2000 with friend Scott Hadzig.
“Our mission and goal was to cre-ate pieces of work that were truly in-spiring and di� erent,” he said.
“I just got sick and tired of see-ing the same old remakes in the cin-emas.
“The goal for Shilling Entertain-ment is to be a � lm production com-pany which will be dedicated too professional � lms as well as your low end � lms.
“I’d like to help create beauti-ful pieces of work all under the one roof.”
The next step for The Count is maximum regional exposure in March, and Launer has been in dis-cussions with a number of places, including Bendigo Cinemas, for an o ̈ cial screening.
He’s also in pre-production for another � lm to be shot later this year
“It will be bigger than The Count, this will be my pride and joy,” he said.
ben cameron
counts
loveplutonic
PLUTONIC Lab aka Leigh Ryan (Muph n Plutonic and Dialec-trix) is a pioneer of Australian hip hop.Lately, he’s teamed up with G.Love aka Garrett Dutton (of Special Sauce fame) for a new record called Moonshine Lemonade; described as a “boiling mix of old school hip hop rhymes and dirty blues beats”.
b.entertained 05|Friday, February 11, 2011
food fossickers calmcarlo
“They’re arrogant,” he says of the chefs who have come and gone in quick succession since the restaurant opposite the gardens at Rosalind Park reopened at the end of 2009.
“I just couldn’t � nd the person who did it my way,” he says.
“I want the kitchen to be a calm place, not angry.”
Carlo (right) says the high de-mand for quali� ed chefs is behind the temper tantrums and rudeness many of them believe is part of the job description.
He’s decided he’s not having any of it.
He currently has one young chef and three apprentices working with him in the Mediterranean-styled restaurant, and it’s a much happier place to be.
“I want to train my own chefs, and create a new breed in Bendigo,” Carlo says.
“I have to be honest with Ben-digo; I’ll be in the kitchen for as long as it takes. Our goal is fresh food, us-ing local produce where we can, and simply done.”
It was perhaps the rise of the behind-the-scenes television shows featuring outrageously bad-tem-pered chefs that boosted the image of the kitchen as a place of discord rather than harmony.
The cliche we’ve been fed is that buttery women treat food as
sex therapy, while gristly men wield knives like sabres and bite the heads o� timid apprentices.
While the expansion of the food-entertainment industry means the kitchen has become more accessible to more people, Carlo knows it takes a special kind of personality to cope with the demands of a busy restau-rant.
He also says it may be the rise of the celebrity chef, coupled with the huge increase in interest in food preparation, that has led to what he describes as an over-elaboration of menus.
“Young chefs tend to throw too many things into sauces, and use too much of everything,” he says.
“Most people think the more gar-lic and onion, the better the taste. But really, the less you put into it the better. Cook it slowly, don’t over-cook, and don’t take shortcuts.”
Carlo and son Mitch gutted the lovely old building at Howard Place, and renovated not just front-of-house but also the good-sized kitchen.
They also put in place a big solid table (from Jimmy Possum, where
Carlo worked for a while) in the Tasting Room, where local wines in particular are on o� er. At last count, wine from 35 di� erent regional vine-yards is available.
The Wine Bar operates as a cellar door, where you can choose the wine to accompany your meal and have it served at the table for an extra $10 a bottle.
The Wine Bar gives La Piazza a grown-up feel, but Carlo is keen to encourage family dining in what he claims will be his � nal foray into food.
Named after the beautiful Lake Como district from where his fam-ily comes, La Piazza serves up what Carlo calls “traditional Italian food, but not perhaps like Australians are used to.”
They use imported dried pasta, which is actually fresher than most locally-made varieties. For most oth-er ingredients, Carlo’s philosophy is to support local produce.
Mitch reports proudly that his dad was something of a “trailblazer” in this respect, advocating local at Maxine’s Restaurant he set up in Bath Lane back in 1986.
The menu is grounded in pizza and pasta, with the essential ingre-dient something you can’t buy in a packet – calm.
“I’m old-fashioned, and do it by the book,” Carlo says.
“I’m not going to be perfect, and I can be tough, but I don’t yell.”
He likes to serve up food that looks and tastes simple, so that � a-vours aren’t competing and over-whelming the plate.
“Less is better,” he says.From the current menu, he rec-
ommends starting with prosciutto crudo e melone. The secret to this is a machine.
“There’s a real art to slicing pro-sciutto,” Carlo says.
“You have to slice it on order or it becomes dry and salty.”
Follow that with a house special-ty, risotto con quaglia e porcini ragu.
“This is not a dish you’d � nd in books,” Carlo says, “but that’s my style.
“You need a good stock (made for this risotto from the quail bones), and fresh grated parmesan.”
The quail risotto has a slight gamey taste, accentuated by the
richness of the mushrooms.Accompany this with a “nice local
red, perhaps a Munari cab sav”, says Carlo, giving the nod to the Heath-cote winery of Adrian and Deborah Jones Munari which last year won a Wine of the Year award at the Federa-trion Square Wine Showcase.
THERE is no denying it’s a pressure job, but for heav-en’s sake, get over your-selves!You can hear the frustration in gentle Carlo Barri’s voice, as he explains why he is back in the kitchen at La Pi-azza, rather than out front playing host to the diners.
rosemary sorensen
DETAILS: La Piazza Wine Bar and Restaurant, Howard Place, Bendigo, (03) 5444 4499. Antipasta at about $8.50 for two; pizzas about $20; mains about $26.
COMING UP: World’s Longest Lunch at Shelmerdine Vineyards, Heathcote, Friday March 4 (part of the Snag, Beer and Bubbles Festi-val and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival): $115, (03) 5433 5188.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I don’t like that: it’s not the worm – I don’t like the ketchup.” One of the chil-dren taste-testing top British chef Heston Blumenthal’s protein-packed pizza exper-iment, topped with deep-fried worms.
soundoff Alan “Bezzo” Besley and Sarah Reilly of Bendigo IPTV jump into the Sound O� ring over their all time favourite tunes.
1. Imagine - John Lennon.The classic track of all time that became a hit around the world and remembered by generations.2. Lido Shu� e - Boz Scaggs.Great party song and my favourite on a karaoke night.3. You’re The Voice - John Farnham.The best song at the height of his career and won an ARIA Award in 1987 and the bagpipe solo was sensational.
4. William Tell Overture - Sounds Incorporated.To my mind the most catchy instrumental in the days of the Beatle haircuts.
5. He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother - The Hollies.A great radio song when driving on a long and winding road to the outback.
6. Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf.Head thumper from the sixties era that had plenty of buzz about it.
7. Spill The Wine - Eric Burdon.Great track to listen to whilst enjoying a classy bottle of red with my mates.
8. Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival.A 1969 hit song that will never lose its way through any era.
9. Midnight At The Oasis - Maria Muldaur.Was the theme song for closing time at an old watering hole of mine in the north west of the state.
10. Hey Jude - The Beatles.As an old disc jockey I used to play this track for a bubbly little nurse at Swan Hill Hospital.
Bezzo
1. Hallellujah - KD Lang.Simply, it makes my soul soar!!!2. All I Want is You - U2.Hopefully romantic, exquisitely performed.3. Fragile - Sting.He looks and sounds divine, and this song reminds us that we are mortal and should be treated with love and care.4. Single Ladies - Beyonce.It is the whole package! Visually pleasing, cheeky, her
attitude and sense of humour is wonderful and empowering!5. Smooth Operator - Sade.
Silky smooth voice, I love her songs as great ambiant background music.6. Kiss From a Rose - Seal.
Masculine yet sensitive, a song that is full of passion.7. When Doves Cry - Prince.
Underlying sadness mixed with sensuality.8. White Christmas - Bing Crosby.
A quintessential Christmas classic.9. This is Christmas - John Lennon.
Ditto.10. Viva La Vida - Coldplay.
In fact most Coldplay songs are clever lyrically and musically uplifting!
Sarah
IS NOW ON
entertained
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b.entertained 06|Friday, February 11, 2011
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Here’s another, through one of Bendigo’s most well-known and passionate professional artists, Gail Tavener. She feels “it’s important for local people in the community to ac-cess beautiful visuals wherever they like!”
You won’t get an argument from me.
Six Bendigo Artists is a show that Gail is in, along with ve painter col-leagues from the Studios & Galler-ies & Artisans of Bendigo group, of which she has been Secretary for 12 years. 18 of their paintings are on the walls of The Capital right now, in the Bendigo Bank Theatre foyer space.
“It’s a beautiful, warm, friendly space,” beams Gail when we meet there. “And the work ts perfectly.”
Around September last year The Capital rang Gail to invite the paint-ers of the group to exhibit work suited to the space and those who frequent the grand old theatre build-ing.
The answer was an excited ‘yes.’ There was no particular brief for the artists, other than the work should be recent.
The six painters contributed three works each, a colourful range of oil paintings, watercolours, etch-ings and pencil works.
Painting fans of Bendigo and region will be well familiar with the remaining artists in the show: Keith
Ross, Robyn Clarke, Ellen Lee Oster- eld, Terry Jarvis and Pat Andruchow, whose three “soft ground” etchings of cockatoos are stand outs. “It’s a very complicated process,” Gail tells me of Pat’s chosen print-making technique.
“We’re all great friends,” she smiles, describing the ties that bind them and the synchronicity of the pictures. Aged 30 to 70ish, she says the members “very much have their own individual styles, but the work has melded very well together.”
She’s right. One thing that’s also
obvious – regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of traditional paint-ing and whether this show is to your taste or not – the works are of a high standard, all painted, drawn, etched and sketched with great heart.
It’s the breadth of work from the group that Gail nds “quite startingly beautiful.”
She explains, “We don’t meet to paint. We discuss lots of things about our studios and galleries.”
These are all independently run and open to the public for viewing, with a number of the collective’s
twelve members also running class-es from their home studios.
Echoing the words of Tamara Marwood (another community-minded local artist recently featured in this column), Gail feels it’s very valuable for people to view an art-ist’s work in an artist’s environment.
“People don’t often think about the connection between our home and what we paint,” she says. Her oil “Garden Lilies” illustrates her point, on the walls of The Capital.
And when people come to see Six Bendigo Artists? “We just hope they say ‘gosh that’s great!’, or are inspired in some way,” she answers, lled with genuine inspiration of her own about life, community and the joy being an artist brings her. It’s contagious...
Six Bendigo Artists, The Capital The-atre, Bendigo. Until March 25, 10am – 4pm daily. Works priced $270 – $600.
megan spencer
SEEMS a recurring theme at the moment, that of nding ‘alternate art spaces’ for practising artists in the community who want to show their work in a public setting, yet don’t quite t the agenda of the professional galleries around town.
artistssix bendigob.entertained 07|Friday, February 11, 2011
Ellen Lee Oster eld painting. A Pat Andruchow painting .
Delicate work of Gail Taverner.
SIX OF THE BEST: Robyn Clarke, Ellen Lee Oster eld, Gail Taverner, Keith Ross, Pat Andruchow and Terry Jarvis.
ANOTHER community art event will also happen next door to The Capital, at Dudley House. Floodline is a “fundrais-ing group exhibition” of work donated by emerging and es-tablished Bendigo artists, with sale proceeds going to the Sal-vation Army Flood Appeals.
Local digital artist Hugh Waller is the organiser and will donate “Red Leaf” (pictured). Art-related goods will also be auctioned during the opening, Friday February 25.
Floodline Fundraising Group Exhibition, February 25 – 28, Dudley House, Bendigo. Entry by gold coin donation. Email [email protected] for the opening start time or details.
floodline
inbriefprestonpercheTALK about spreadin’ the love.
Heathcote’s own Preston Perche, the indie pop duo of sisters Bianca Mayes and Bec Lang-ley, will launch their new album in three di� er-ent locations.
Last night the girls played The Paris Cat in Melbourne, and are set to launch at the Golden Vine tomorrow night, with help from Talisa “TJ” Jobe, and the Mona Lisa Gallery in Heathcote next Friday.
Preston Perche will be supported at their Heathcote gig by Mariah McCarthy and Cassie Ward.
The big gig comes on March 13 though, when Ward and Bianca Mayes team up to play alongside big-name Australian rockers Chil-dren Collide, when they contest the Grand Fi-nal at the Push Over festival at The Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne.
Ward and Mayes won the Northern Coun-try Regional Final of the FReeZA Battle of the Bands competition in Bendigo last October, providing a pathway through to the big dance.
nextwaveIF you’re a musician under the age of 21 and want to ride the next wave of musical talent, this competition is for you.
Applications are still open for The Next Wave Young Performers Competition.
Over the years an outstanding crop of tal-ent has been unearthed from across Australia in the competition, including The Vasco Era.
The prize will be presented on Friday April 8 at the Apollo Bay Music Festival, including a
paid performance spot the next day.All entrants must be 21 years or under as
of April 8. Entries close February 25.Applications are online now so visit www.
apollobaymusicfestival.com
hiphopportuni-tiesforyouthIF you’re looking for a local dose of break-dance, emceeing, street art and beat-boxing, get down to the St Kilda Festival this Sunday as Central Victoria’s Hiphopportunities For Youth will take hold of the “Exposin’ The Elementz Hip Hop Stage” from 11am to 6pm.
For seven solid hours, the stage will show-case the emerging hip hop subculture of Cen-tral Victoria through the work of the region’s freshest emcees, deejays, b-boys and girls and street artists, who will run a series of free work-shops, and also display their passion in per-formance and battle.
Hiphopportunities is also going for a record – the biggest group hip hop song.
So if you’re at the festival stop by the stage and head into the portable studio and record a verse or two for the biggest ever “Posse Track”.
EXPOSIN’ THE ELMENTZ HIP HOP STAGE:
11AM-11.30AM Dance Performance.11.45AM-12.15PM Dance Workshop.12.30PM-1PM
Dance Performance.1PM-2,30PM Dance/Emcee/Beatbox freestyles.2PM-4PM Street Art Demo.1PM-5PM Posse Track Recording (in studio van).3PM-4PM Dance Battle Heats.4.30PM-6PM Dance Final and Emcee performances
bluesandrootsTHE Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival fundraiser at the Golden Vine on Saturday raised over $2500. And thoughtfully, the festi-val donated a dollar from each punter through the door to Victorian Flood Relief.
Festival coordinator Colin Thompson said the extreme weather couldn’t keep the die– hards away.
“Although the extreme weather may have had an adverse e� ect on the turnout, attend-ance was still strong and the event was still a resounding success, by any measure,” he said.
“Every act ripped it up brilliantly and thanks to all our amazing volunteers, and all the kind punters who battled through the
crappy weather to complete a sensational day.”The Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival
is set for November 25, 26 and 27.
BendigoWeekly
BOOKCLUB 1. Letters and Numbers
SBS2. Happiest Refugee
Anh Do3. Clean and Lean: Flat
Tummy Fast James Duigan
4. Lake of DreamsKim Edwards
5. Tick TockJames Patterson
6. At Home with the TempletonsMonica McInerney
7. LeopardJo Nesbo
8. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
Stieg Larsson9. Losing the Last 5 Kilos
Michelle Bridges10. The Girl Who Played
with FireStieg Larsson
THIS week, we have a little gift for a quick Book Club reader. The � rst email to be received at [email protected] will receive a copy of Sword of the Templars by Paul Christopher, the new mystery thriller published by Penguin Books. Watch this space for more opportunities to enjoy a good book.For this week’s Dymocks special book club o� er, see b.entertained page 3.
Send us your book news and reviews at: [email protected]
Publishers are rushing to get the incredible story of Julian Assange into print. Melbourne University Press has Andrew Fowler’s The Most Dangerous Man in the World due for publication as an e-book on March 28, then in print on April 11, and Text will publish Assange’s own account, WikiLeaks Versus the World on April 7. Of course, the story is continuing, so maybe this will be volume one.
The Indie book of the year, voted for by independent booksellers throughout Australia, will be announced on March 14. In the mix for the prize are Chris Womersley’s novel Bereft, Anh Do’s memoir The Happiest Refugee, Kirsten Tranter’s § rst novel The Legacy, and, for children, Jeannie Baker’s Mirror.
Castlemaine State Festival (April 1-10) launched this week, including a program of literary events. Historian Robyn Annear will present “The Tilting Table: A Secret History of the Library” at the Castlemaine Library, formerly the Mechanics’ Institute, which was a “hot-bed of spiritualism” in the early years. Tuesday April 5 at 6pm: $10.
Bendigo author, Lorraine Marwood, who won the inaugural Prime Minister’s literary award for children’s books for her verse novel Star Jumps, has this to say about writing poetry: “One’s readership is limited, yet I § nd that the most e� ective way of encouraging children and adults alike to write is through poetry. It’s the sense of accomplishment and the aura of the vignette.”
news
FUNNY from the very § rst page, this book is an hilarious observation of hoarding, and how it can make your life miserable.
If you are a hoarder – even if you won’t admit it – then this book will make you laugh constantly at the things Corinne has kept. It may even make you feel good about your stu� that you can’t or won’t part from.
This book may inspire you to get started on cleaning out those cupboards. You can unclutter your mind as well as your cupboards.
Corinne Grant is a stand-up comic and television personality. This memoir, her § rst book, was published late last year.
Reviewed by Karen Burt.
Lessons in Letting Go Corinne GrantAllen & Unwin
FUNNY from the very § rst page, this book
Lessons in Letting Go Corinne GrantAllen & Unwin
pick of the week
this week’s top 10
b.entertained 08|Friday, February 11, 2011
Bones Blackwood.
Marc Leon.
Dale of “Salvador”.