CO-OP NEWS
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Aug/Sep 2007

New Music At The Upfront Club
By Hannah Bruzova

The Upfront Club is seeking a back-up sound mixer for Friday and Saturday nights, for those rare occasions that entertainment manager Danny Rose needs a night off!

If you're aware of the differing sound qualities of live instruments and voice and can operate an eight-channel Yamaha mixer, this could be the job for you. You're only required to do the initial set-up and sound check, then you're free to leave. You'll get $25 for your time, and get to meet some world-class acts. Call Danny on tel (07) 5494 2385 or email: danupfrontrose@bigpond.com for more information.

Muso's Blackboard
The Club would like to encourage more people to take part in the Muso's Blackboard on a Monday night from 6.30 pm-10pm. It's open to young and old, amateur and professional. Whether you can belt out a few tunes, deliver a bit of comedy, some rap or a spoken word piece, come along and give it a go.
The three best acts between 7 pm and 9 pm receive a cash prize of $30, $20 or $10 respectively (or a free drink for acts before 7 pm and after 9 pm).
To book a spot, turn up early or call Danny Rose on the above number or at the Club on 5494 2592.

EWAN MACKENZIE & KAY SULLIVAN: Saturday 25 August
If jazz and gypsy music are your thing, make sure you venture out to the Club to see Ewan Mackenzie and Kay Sullivan perform and perhaps pick up a copy of their debut CD, Paris Dreaming.

Ewan and Kay have journeyed continuously around the countryside like true gypsies since 2006, busking, jamming, gigging and recording, with a penchant for spreading the Manouche gospel.

Ewan is a seasoned guitarist and is regarded as one of Australia's finest gypsy jazz players in the Django Reinhardt style. It has been said of Ewan that he 'plays guitar with his face' - which will no doubt be very amusing to watch! Ewan writes melodic and evocative material, his guitar solos being described as "warm and articulate", with the spontaneity and creativity inherent in jazz improvisation.

Kay thinks she may have been a gypsy accordionist in a previous incarnation. After years of playing piano accordion at bush dances and country socials, she has now thrown herself into the gypsy jazz world.

As a duo, Ewan and Kay create a spontaneous and inventive sound that promises to infuse the club with happy sounds from foreign lands.

MEI LAI SWAN TRIO: Friday 14 September
With influences such as Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Cat Power, Tori Amos and Joanna Newsom, we can expect the unexpected from this Alice Springs-dwelling, cello-playing songstress in her upcoming Maleny visit.

After touring Melbourne and Brisbane, which earned her a grant from Arts Northern Territory, Mei Lai Swan recorded her debut EP titled, The Morning Tree, which she is currently promoting on her national tour.

Speaking from experience, the cello is an instrument that can evoke numerous emotions. It has been said that it is the closest instrument to the human voice. When coupled with Mei Lai Swan's nimble, versatile vocal and original lyrics, one can only imagine the end product to be haunting, inspiring and ground-breakingly original.

Mei Lei Swan was the violinist for the popular band Lothlorien, and a session musician with Carl Pannuzzo and Ned Collette, and has also shared the international stage with ChamberMade Opera.

Mei Lai Swan kicks off her national tour at the Darwin Festival in August, playing gigs and conducting workshops throughout the Northern Territory, Victoria and Queensland. Patrons of The Up Front Club are privileged to have a sneak preview of Mei Lai Swan. She will play a Bach repertoire during dinner, and then will be accompanied by Tashka Urban on keyboards and Alice Jones on drums.

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 tel (07) 5494 2385 or email: danupfrontrose@bigpond.com.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", August/September 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]