With the support of Arts OutWest, Lachlan Shire Council has presented the Live and Local project of live music in their shire.
Arts OutWest’s Music Industry Support Officer Patrick Coomey came on board as curator and now sums up the program and some the many outcomes:
Lachlan Shire Council took on the project in partnership with the Live Music Office and APRA AMCOS assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body back in 2020. Some events were held in Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo that year, but like everything they were severely impacted and limited by Covid restrictions.
In 2021 changes had occurred within the working group and Lachlan Shire Council were unable to engage a curator to work with them to complete the project. The Shire engaged Arts OutWest to provide a curation service for the project. Whilst delays due to Covid, lockdowns, restrictions and then floods delayed the rollout of some live music events.
In the lead up to the event local venue manages had expressed a desire to present regular live music and be connected to a good selection of musicians. In programming the activation, a selection of artists from both Arts OutWest projects Live & Kicking and While the World Waits were programmed to provide audiences with an opportunity to experience some of the great original live music that is being created in our region. It also allowed local emerging artists the opportunity to share stages and connect with artists who are working regularly, recording and releasing music and talk with them firsthand all about it.
On Saturday 28 May an activation of venues along Bathurst Street Condobolin had live music pumping out from 11am at the Community Centre which saw the debut performance of a young local singer songwriter Xaiver Grimshaw and high school girls Gemma, Emma, Emily and Megan and their band JAM entertained a nice cross section of the community who came to hear them. This was topped off by a performance from Gracey Denham Jones from Parkes who only a couple of years ago was where these performers were at, but now she gigs regularly has recorded her first song as part of While the World Waits and had opened for Amber Lawrence and Catherine Britt when they were in Parkes. It was a good opportunity for these artists to work together and talk about making music and performing it.
The Imperial Hotel and Red Cattle Dog Hotels had Live music from 3pm, entertaining patrons with some of the Central West’s finest including James Sutherland, Gracey Denham-Jones, Clinton Hoy, Adam Kerezsy, Cletis Carr and Clancy Pye through till 9pm. The venues were well attended throughout the night with many patrons soaking the experience up. They had been longing for a good dose of live music. The venues were very pleased, with it being one of their best trading nights in a long time. They also made some connections with musicians that they are looking forward to getting back to Condo and making live music a regular thing.
An Encore event of Condo Live and Local will be happening on 19 June as a Sunday Session at Condobolin Sports Club featuring some of these artists and a few others who were unable to perform at the previous event. Make sure you get along to experience it first hand and support live music and venues that want to host it and help Lachlan shire plug into the Central West Music Community.
IMAGE: Main Cletis Carr performs. Gallery: A selection of images from Lachlan Live and Local at Condobolin Saturday 28 May. Pictures: Patrick Coomey.
