Legendary Melbourne country rockers The Dingoes attracted diverse crowds on their resurrection tour.
Legendary Melbourne country rockers The Dingoes attracted diverse crowds on their resurrection tour. But, among the celebrities and music lovers in their audience, there was one notable absentee. There was no Ernie Dingo.
Will the equally iconic TV host, namesake and music buff be invited to The Dingoes finale Melbourne concerts from April 1-3? “We’ll have to see where he is,” guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst told Beat as he promoted the band’s gigs and double tour CD Live At Last. “He hasn’t been around but then again we probably haven’t been in his neighborhood. That’s understandable, I guess.”
The band may film a farewell show for a DVD but had not chosen a support act at the time of this interview. Sadly the paths of Tolhurst, now relocating to Melbourne, and fellow Country Radio singer Greg Quill never passed on their summer tours.
“Everywhere he was we were somewhere else. It wasn’t planned that way of course,” Tolhurst said. “When we played in Sydney a couple of the other guys from Country Radio turned up – Chris Branchflower and John Bird. That was good.”
But unlike production client Shane Howard in his Goanna era there has not been a flood of footy stars at Dingoes gigs. “We don’t hang out with undesirables,” quipped Tolhurst whose band worked with Joe Cocker and George Thorogood at the postponed Day On The Green concert at Rochford Wineries. They also shared billing at the 35th Port Fairy folk festival with U.S. country artists Rosie Flores, Tim O’Brien and Justin Townes Earle and homegrown stars Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson and Shane Howard.
Although Tolhurst doesn’t have a publisher he has landed another song in the new movie Mad Bastards co-produced by the Pigram Brothers in the Kimberleys.
“I have a song – an instrumental Villeret – in their movie Mad Bastards,” Tolhurst revealed. “It was a song I recorded with them about 10 years ago for an album called Sheer that I produced in Broome. “I also want to do an album with Steven Pigram more than anything,” he admits.
Historic Dingoes hit Way Out West – the Tolhurst-Dingoes collaboration – was used in Geelong born Guy Pearce’s movie Red Dog. The movie – based on Louis de Bernieres’ 2002 novel about a hitchhiking Australian red kelpie – was filmed in Pilbara region of WA. Tolhurst has produced the latest album by Shane Howard protégé and fellow Shipwreck Coast singer-songwriter and guitarist Lee Morgan. “Lee is Archie Roach’s nephew and a great singer and guitar player,” Tolhurst said. “He had a bunch of songs and we made an album. It came up really well and is being mastered right now. We did that here in Melbourne at Platinum and mixed it at Mixmaster in Adelaide. He wrote about eight songs for the album and also did a Shane Howard song Heart Of My Country and a song by a guy from America – Kostas. He’s written a lot of No 1 hits in Nashville and is a friend of mine from over there.” Kostas, a prolific writer, is author of hits by the other Kentucky Coalminer’s Daughter, Patty Loveless. “Kostas had a great song Crying In The Rain that Lee did,” Tolhurst added. “He also recorded a new song of mine – I Volunteer.”
How new, I ask. “Well, I wrote it about 10 years ago when I was in New York.”
THE DINGOES play the Prince Of Wales Hotel on Firday April 1, the Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh on Saturday April 2 and the Williamstown RSL on Sunday April 3.
