Milk Bar, Section 8’s monthly house band, is a rotating ensemble of drop-in jazz, hip-hop, and house musicians/DJs/MCs who pit improvisational wits on the last Wednesday of every month.
“Jono”, who makes his own music at the helm of be-chilled four-piece jazz-hop act JonQuil Quartet, is the notable constant in Milk Bar.
He draws on his experience as producer and sound engineer behind Good Mood Melbourne.
Good Mood Melbourne, which started in 2016, offers the music community a mix of live sound, studio recording, mixing and mastering services, along with event curation and management.
Jono, who spent seven years as the inhouse engineer for local, national, and international acts at the Reverence Hotel, says Milk Bar has had about 30 artists play in the collective over the last 12 months.
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“Sometimes players will know one another, and sometimes no one has met until the night,” he says. “We like to keep the lineup changing, and fresh for the crowd, bar staff, and musicians.”
Since Milk Bar’s lineup is fluid, shows from one month to the next are never duplicable. Ordinarily, however, each Milk Bar gig will lean on a rhythm section built out of drums, bass, keys, and/or guitar.
The Milk Bar collective will bleed random brass musicians and vocalists into this nucleus to round out the lineup.
“Each player definitely brings their own flavour to the band,” says Jono, “so the music can have a completely different energy month to month, depending on who’s playing with who.”
Milk Bar is one of the acts scheduled to perform at Section 8, as part of Section 8’s Level Up Series. Level Up, which is already underway, is a six-month series scheduled to take place at Section 8 until April 2023.
The free-entry series, which happens every second Sunday of the month, is structured into six events.
The bookends are a record store showcase (this took place in November) and a collaborative vinyl release party (which happens Sunday April 9). Sandwiched between these, Level Up features four unique improvisational battles.
Artists who perform at these events are in the mix for more than $10,000 in prizes, including cash, mentorships, recording software, clothing, dance classes, festival tickets, mixing and mastering services, and more.
There will be a special drinks menu from Coopers, Jameson, Chivas Regal and headline acts, plus specific prizes for the Improv Battle will include $1000 cash, studio time with Good Mood Melbourne, a videography package from 2nd Avenue Media, a $200 voucher from Store DJ and Mannys and plenty more!
Enter Level Up’s improv battle here: https://bit.ly/level-up-apply
“We’re trying to create somewhere fun and accessible for people to connect, who may not have previously had the opportunity to,” says Jono.
“Whether that be musicians playing together who haven’t – or crowd members discovering live jam music for the first time, when expecting to come and watch a DJ.
“These kinds of moments can really build up a creative community.”
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The Level Up Series is all about celebrating Melbourne’s creative community.
At the improv battle that Milk Bar is hosting, musicians will compete in an open-access competition, performing with the backing of a slightly stripped-back Milk Bar house band.
The crowd at Section 8 will vote on the winner, and the winner will take home a free-recording session supplied by Jono’s Good Mood Melbourne.
“The recording prize will include a full-day recording with Good Mood Melbourne, who offers a few different recording options, depending on the size and requirements of the session.”
It’s one thing to nail a vocal track with a studio’s safety rails in reach. But killing it live, in improv conditions, is another beast.
Jono has a few tips for vocalists who want to enter Milk Bar’s Level Up event however.
“Listen to the people who you’re playing with,” he says. “Give space for other players to have their moments, and be confident in your own skill set. Everyone is on their own growth journey, and can offer different things.
“These jams are about coming together and complementing one another to create something together.”
Section 8, an open-air container bar amongst the crates and spray paints of CBD Melbourne’s laneway vortex, is a unique venue to perform at, according to Jono.
“We’re blessed in Melbourne to have so many bars and live music venues, but Section 8 does have its own unique energy.
“The crowd really tends to engage with performers – both musicians and DJs – more than your regular bar.
“Live performance is all about energy exchange between people….
“The environment at Section 8, with the band playing on the floor in the middle of the venue, can often bring out some really special moments between the crowd and the band.”
Level Up dates
Sunday January 8 – Improv Battle hosted by Milk Bar.
Sunday February 12 – Dance Battle hosted by DJ Naru and BTTB.
Sunday March 12 – Beat Battle with Judges Sadiva, Foura, Spell and Walla C
Sunday April 9 – Vinyl Release Launch Party of Section 8’s exclusive vinyl pressing
Milk Bar performs as part of Section 8’s Level Up Series, on Sunday January 8, 2023. Level Up kicks off at Section 8 at 3pm, every second Sunday of the month, until April. Find all the info on the official event page. Artists who want to compete in the Jan 8 improv battle can submit their entry by Jan 1, 2023.
