Project Description

Melbourne Guitar Show
@ Caulfield Racecourse
03/08/19 + 04/08/19

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Deb Kloeden

Photos: Deb Kloeden 

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The Melbourne Guitar Show is an annual two-day event held at the Caulfield Racecourse. It is a combination of guitar expo, workshops, discussions and live music experiences spread over three stages. It showcases all types of guitars for the enthusiasts wanting to buy, as well as pitch shifters, signal shredders, amps, slinky strings, and much more. You can learn how to build a guitar, play guitar and try out everything on offer.

On walking into the venue you are hit with a wall of sound. Try listening to 10 CDs at once, all turned up loud, and you might come close to the cacophony of sound produced by at least 10 different punters all having a go at various electric guitars at the same time. Visually too, there is so much to look at and take in. It really is a guitarist players ‘lolly shop’.

This was my second consecutive Melbourne Guitar Show and I went mainly for the music. A wonderful selection of individual artists and bands filled the two-day program.

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DAY 1

First up was Melbourne Blues artist ANNA SCIONTI who played a variety of guitars including two hand-made cigar box guitars. The second one she played was bought in Memphis and had three strings, one bass and two acoustic. She also plays a Gibson guitar. A strong voice accompanies her foot-stomping blues. This was a great way to start the weekend.

CHRIS BIENIEK and band is usually a three-piece, but brought in a sax player as well. They performed a wide variety of genres including Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B and Funk, moving seamlessly between the genres. I thoroughly enjoyed the screaming guitar riffs and the sax that came in for Jazz numbers.

A highlight for me was discovering VAN LARKINS. Van plays a modern fusion of traditional styles, creating melodic acoustic layers. His production gave the impression that he was playing more instruments than he actually was. He hooks his guitar up to three leads, which makes the sound so rich and deep. He explained that he constructs music visually by looking at the pitch histogram. If it looks a bit thin in places, he adds more layers, bringing in harmonies to make the digital footprint look more interesting. It worked for me.

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SARAH McLEOD of The Superjesus fame played an awesome set. Her strong, powerful voice complimented her varied repertoire. Her energetic show attracted a big crowd who appreciated the chance to see such a star, live. Her use of loops and pedals extended her creative guitar skills, producing exciting new sounds.

Over on the Mezzanine Stage, beloved roots artist ASH GRUNWALD performed a mix of old and new songs, delighting his avid fans. His familiar foot-stomping, blues-enthused hits are really musical stories with an awesome sound track. He finished his set with two of my old favourites ‘Breakout’ and ‘Walking’ which apparently features in the 2011 movie ‘Limitless’ soundtrack. They are both great sing-along songs and get you moving with every listen.

I briefly caught soul-singer ELLA BELFANTI who arrived a little late, before heading over to PHIL MANNING, from Chain and CHRIS FINNEN. These two definitely worked well together, making their guitars talk to each other.

Another new discovery for me was the amazing DENNIS JONES BAND. Dennis Jones is an LA based Blues rocker. His screaming guitar riffs gave powerful electricity to his blues-based rock’n’roll. The three-piece band was incredibly tight.

SIMON HOSFORD’S FAIR WARNING played Van Halen’s debut album in its entirety. Reproducing the Van Halen energy and flamboyance, Fair Warning let loose with guitar shreds that could be heard through the whole venue.

Closing the day, and scheduled at the same time, the NICK CHARLES International Blues Day Celebration featured MINNIE MARKS, ASH GRUNWALD, PHIL MANNING, CHARLIE BEDFORD, COREY LEGGE, ANNA SCIONTI, LIZ FRENCHAM and SHANNON BOURNE. Each artist was given a chance to lead the jam session, starting with host NICK CHARLES. It was a great way to finish a stimulating day of music.

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DAY 2

Sunday’s program was less extensive, but still very inspiring. As I walked into the venue I discovered two young artists performing at one of the music stalls. They were both playing 5-string bass guitars as if they were six-string leads. The music they produced was complex, layered, progressive instrumental, which reminded me of Pink Floyd and Massive Attack at times. Delicate plucking grew into heavy prog rock, showcasing their complex and extensive capabilities. They put a whole new perspective on bass guitar playing. These lads were two of the three members of THE OMNIFIC.

The band STARS have reformed after 35 years with the original line-up, featuring NICK CHARLES. They performed a great range of old and new material.

Blues was definitely well represented over the weekend. Renowned Australian Blues guitarist LLOYD SPIEGEL demonstrated his award-winning style, interspersed with humorous anecdotes. He performed his brand new single ‘Track Her Down’, which is a deep and soulful number. MINNIE MARKS, who plays ‘dirty sweet rock’n’roll’, also joined him on stage.

Next I caught JEREMY BARNES (with drum & bass), one of the world’s fastest guitar players apparently. The band played a combination of Prog Rock, Heavy Metal and Psychedelic rock, at times reminding me of King Crimson. The newly formed band were a tight outfit producing screaming lead guitar riffs with a heavy bass underlay. Melodious moments were interspersed with heavy jamming. The drummer, Peter Drummond, was rightfully given the spotlight on several occasions. It was an exciting contrast to many of the other acts performing on the weekend.

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Next I sought out MINNIE MARKS’s second solo appearance for the weekend. Set up with guitar, foot drum and peddles, Minnie is certainly a one-woman-band and multi-instrumentalist with insane talent.

A showcase of acoustic guitar players featured next, bringing a huge range of different styles. VAN LARKINS started the ball rolling with his hypnotic dreamscapes. He was asked about his influences, to which he replied they were a mix of 80’s music and (oddly enough) Japanese video game music. He explained that often his instrumental music began with cascading bass melodies and finished with a frantic video game crescendo. SERGIO ERCOLE played beautiful classical guitar pieces with inspiring Flamenco intricacies. NICK CHARLES played a lovely version of ‘Angie’, and CHRIS FINNEN delivered more of his unique folk/blues style. The session began with each artist playing a couple of songs solo. Then they performed together creating an engaging jam session, each artists steering the direction of the jam one by one.

Finally the weekend ended with the TRIPLE M FINALE JAM. Many of the highlight acts from the weekend turned up for this one, with a few surprises thrown in the mix. DENNIS JONES was a real feature, engaging with the other guitarists like boxers sparing. Host JAMES RYAN and Russell Morris guitarist PETE ROBINSON also had fun together on stage, making this a wonderful parting performance. Classic hits like ZZ Top’s ‘La Grange’ and Stone Temple Pilot’s ‘Take A Load Off’ were very popular.

Congratulations to all the organisers and sponsors for handcrafting such an amazing weekend of music and all things guitars. I’ll be back.

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Check out Deb Kloeden’s gallery of Day 1 HERE

Check out Deb Kloeden’s gallery of Day 2 HERE

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AMNPLIFY – DB