Submitted by John Werner – Victoria
David Long and his entourage have finished up their east coast tour of Australia at one of the country’s newest and emerging bluegrass and acoustic music venues – the Yinnar Hotel.
The band were engaged to play the Redlands Bluegrass Convention earlier in July this year, and thanks to the work of Ruth Hazelton from Across The Boarders Touring in Melbourne, the group went on to play several other gigs down the east coast.
One of those events was the Yinnar Hotel last Wednesday night which saw a packed audience. Midnight From Memphis took to the stage, as part of the monthly presentations organised by local legends, The Strzelecki Stringbusters.
The final gig of their month-long Australian tour was a sold-out affair to a packed house, showcasing the individual and collective talents of these fine musicians who played Bluegrass, Western Swing and well-crafted Americana original songs throughout their two 45 minute sets. Their vocal harmony was a particular highlight, along with the intricate weaving in and out of the single condenser mic’s range as each took turns to solo.
David Long, on his 3rd visit to the area in 5 years, demonstrated why he is considered to be one of the new masters of traditional music with a skilful display of Monroe-style mandolin playing. Preston Schmidt on fiddle caused a few jaws to hit the deck within his first few bars, wowing the crowd with his precise and fiery style. Scott Simotachhi on guitar provided solid rhythm playing and delivered his original tunes with great vocal clarity, whilst Eric Thorin on bass impressed all with his perfect timing and some wonderful solos that tapped into his diverse musical background.
The boys also entertained the audience between tunes with witty stories of their Australian experiences, and some of the inspirations behind their original offerings.
The large and thirsty crowd stayed on until stumps. As is now customary for all acts coming through Yinnar, the night concluded with all performers from both bands crowding onto the stage for the final 3 tunes, ending well past the usual 11pm finish time. The MFM boys were last seen heading back to Arnie’s farmhouse to kick on into the early hours with the locals.
The Strzelecki Stringbusters. have several outstanding national acts lined up for the rest of the year on their last Wednesday of the month shows. Coming up in August is Gerry Hale’s Uncle Bill, so jump in quickly and secure your spot by contacting the Yinnar Hotel on Ph 51631263.
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