Music at The UpFront Club
By Hannah Bruzova

Welcome to our new-look music page, which now features two acts rather than the entire schedule of upcoming performers. For the latest gig guide and cover-charge information, pick up a flyer at The UpFront Club counter,
visit www.upfrontclub.org or call 5494 2592.

Every Monday night from 6.30 pm to 10.00 pm at the Club is Musos’ Blackboard. Each performer is allocated a 15-minute spot and the three best acts receive a cash prize of $30, $20 or $10 respectively. To book a spot, turn up early or call Danny Rose on 5494 2385 or 0427 022 612.

JOHN MALCOLM
Friday 20 April
When I saw that John Malcolm is to play at The Up Front Club, my hands came together in a prayer-like fashion as I cried, “hallelujah!” I’ve been a fan of John since I first saw him play at the Story Bridge Hotel in Brisbane when I was 18.
In fact, John held a residency at the Story Bridge Hotel for 10 years and another at the Embassy Hotel in Brisbane for 12 years. He’s been enthralling audiences for 25 years and he’s still going strong. That’s no mean feat in the music industry.

Says equally well-respected musician Barry Charles: “John Malcolm is an extremely original, unique and passionate guitarist, vocalist and writer – a great Australian talent. He’s a performer who stirs your soul and moves your feet with his ingenious dexterity of rhythms and sounds. In my opinion, he deserves recognition as a world-class act.”

John sings from an incredibly deep place with rich, chocolate-cake vocals delivered with a conviction that he breathes throughout every moment of the song. He’s a captivating, soulful guitarist whose fingers not only dance along the fret board, it’s as if his hands morph with the guitar to become one instrument, making this solo performer an act you will tell your grandchildren about.

John’s a legend on the festival circuit, having performed at Expo ’88 in Brisbane, Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, nine Woodford Folk Festivals (complete with nine standing ovations), Frankston Guitar Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blues on Broadbeach, Gold Coast International Blues Festival, Longford Festival…the list goes on!

Being the eclectic, original maestro that he is, John brings a real spontaneity to his gigs. Certainly, whenever I have yelled out a request to John at Woodford he has happily played it, even if it was no longer part of his set – enthralling the audience including myself, who gazed up in absolute adoration.
John is guaranteed to take the Club by storm, playing slide Dobro, a baby Martin tuned in F for African styles, a customised Takamine jumbo, a set of harmonicas, a row of effects units, loop stations and stomp boxes. This is a show that is certainly not to be missed. Look out, Malenyites; you may be carrying your jaw home in your hands!

JASON MACHADO
Solo: Friday 4 May
Trio: Saturday 19 May
Brazilians have a reputation thoughout the world for their melodious, sensual, effervescent rhythms and Jason Machado is no exception, playing a seven-stringed guitar accompanied by his voice in a style known as MPB (Música Popular Brasileira).

Performing both as a soloist and as part of a trio, this musical fusion act draws from global sounds such as 19th-century salon music, lundu (an African song form), jazz, carnival marching music, samba, rock and reggae – providing audience and musician alike with an experience that will have music coming out of their pores and chorus lines being sung in the shower!

Jason offers songs of poetic charm from Caetano Veloso and of vibrant joy and celebration from Gilberto Gil, the gentle melancholy of João Gilberto’s bossa nova, the dream-laden melodies of Milton Nascimento and the abandon of those sophisticated yet buoyant samba rhythms of Paulino da Viola.
Featuring as house band for the Brisbane Ideas Festival 2006, the Jason Machado Group was described by Rachel Langford in the Courier Mail as “chilled and sophisticated, providing an opportunity for couples to slow dance…perhaps a Brazilian-style answer to the Buena Vista Social Club”.

For world music enthusiasts and punters keen to check out a new act in Maleny and get acquainted with the Club’s dance floor, the exotic sounds of Jason Machado and his trio will definitely prove enticing.

ACCOMMODATION SPECIAL REQUEST
Visiting performers at the Club often need to be accommodated overnight, and their budgets don’t necessarily extend to paying for hotel/motel rooms. If you have a spare room or two at your home and can put up a muso or more following an evening performance,
contact Danny Rose on 494 2385 or 0427 022 612 or
email danupfrontrose@bigpond.com.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", Apr/May 2007; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]