Vince, one of the guest vocalists at Wednesday’s Strum-A-Rama gig, is in his late ’60s. He had some kind of African embroidered hat on, cargo pants, a thick mo’ and square bi-focals; a very unassuming kind of fellow. When he started to sing, though, all thoughts of his resemblance to Heisenberg flitted out of my head and there was only this heavy, bald blues coming from the man’s throat. The array of performers that graced the stage for outreach collective Wild@heART’s monthly showcase was, in a word, phenomenal. It’s not just that the lyrical content was sincere and raw: the calibre of musicianship topped anything you might see at a North-side open mic. There’s absolutely no pretending for anyone here, and that made the joy of the evening so palpable. Each artist or band played one or two tracks, resulting in a completely original collection of real soul, jazz and rock vibes. Capped off by a performance from the harp man himself Chris Wilson, this was quite unlike anything I’ve ever reviewed or indeed seen.
Lyn Mast from Warrnambool, who’d never performed for an audience before but whose Judith Durham-inspired, soulful vocals crooned “can’t let the black dogs sleep”, is a gifted songwriter. (Her second track, Jazz At The ‘Boolhad me singing its melody and sweet message well after I’d left the pub.) Headline act The BiPolar Bears bashed out their sharpie, Meanies riffs with twangy vocals and hard rockin’ drums from newest member Paul. Byron, warm and informal ringleader, sang unaccompanied except for his electric guitar with beautifully deep, sand-fine vocals: it was very much like a Grinderman track, shot straight through the heart. Byron has those wiry muscles in his biceps and seems unsteady on his feet, but he plays the guitar with a nonchalant motor knowledge in the fingers that I remember from my dad playing flamenco guitar, a skill he still held in the alcoves of his heart from before his move to Australia.
Gorgeously dimpled singer Heidi Everett played in a duo with Wild@heART’s exceptional founder, Phil Heuzenroeder. Steph’s sweet ukulele tune Three Little Words was pulled off with a perfect mix of beauty and eeriness. Guitarist Brett accompanied her, playing delicate, rippling plucks alongside. After the performance, Brett bent over to fiddle with the amp and inadvertently revealed his plumber’s cleavage. Amongst hollers and heckles he looked over his shoulder with a wry smile and said “I showed you m’ best side.” It was a hilarious, emotional, amazing night and I’m well looking forward to the next show from this incredible initiative. If you like your live music real, this is the place to be.
BY ZOË RADAS
LOVED: The Bears’ slap-rock verve.
HATED: The Espy’s habit of punching you in the purse.
DRANK: Vodka soda.
