The Sunbury Macedon Ranges Newspaper reports, this week, that: this years festival organizers have decided that Rock'n'Roll music is too daggy, no longer needed and won't be included. Quote: "Festival president Fi Corby said the music was out of sync with this year's young at heart theme". Hmmm, how sad... especially for hard working locals like Kim and Rob? Oh, well. Let's hope 3NRG stays on the air because at the rate things are going... there won't be much culture of any kind left in Sunbury soon.
Went to a wedding on Saturday (mostly young people present) and the DJ played a mix of music - gee, guess which style had the majority of people up dancing !!! Even if a younger person cant actually "Rock n Roll" they will still get up to the music of Rock n Roll because the beat allows them to dance unlike many other styles of music. Sounds to me like Fi (ummm) Corby should get out more and take actual notice of what happens when people play various styles of music and then tell us whats out of sync.....
I kind of agree with you Tggsb, I had a similar experience, we went to a dance recently were 2 Bands where playing, there were quite a few young people at the venue, one Band played Rockabilly & R&R, and had the Dance floor full, the other band played full on Psychobilly, the dance floor was deserted, now wait for it, the Psycho Band finished, These young guys & girl from the Psycho band began to dance normal Rock & roll to the R&R Band, and might I say they danced pretty good, so MRRPaul maybe Fi Corry is into Music & not Dancing. Or the age old problem Dancers don't spend too much on Alcohol,or other things for that matter at dances, and Fi knows the younger people will spend up big on booze etc etc. So MRRPaul you might have to do what we do, travel a little, you will get what you need if you do a little research.
My beef is with short sighted festival management, but there is more to the story... We have no problem traveling... we do it all the time and we dance lots of different styles (not just R'n'R), but we do find that it is becoming harder to get other people out of their comfort zones and away from their bars. Sunbury WAS a great opportunity for rockers to travel 30 mins from Melbourne and see a stack of bands. It should have become the southern Wintersun, but it didn't? The bands did their best, but 30 mins was too far for everyone else. In fact, whilst we are on the subject, as country folk who are prepared to travel we have noticed that some of the venues are losing the welcoming happy spark that once made them so attractive. One we visited recently could actually be described as unfriendly and aggressive, these days. Traders don't talk to each other. Certain people don't talk to other people because they are friends with certain traders or personalities who don't talk to each other... what kind of crap is that? Some patrons don't like it if you're not dressed the way they are. Other people get drunk and agro... what the f? It's the lack of all that rubbish that made this past time so much fun. We have fantastic, dedicated bands and yet everywhere we go people line up and bag them for being too fast, too slow, too 50s, too 60s, too whatever. Anyway, I just don't want to see us reduced to venue centric homies... it will ruin everything.
This is rather disappointing to hear, MRRPAUL,
i was looking forward to attending the festival only for the reason of bands that have been there in the past,
i also think that if people want to attend any festival pub, club or dance they will travel, i for one would lurve to have a mini wintersun here in Melbourne, Good Luck to Rob & Kim they are an have been a great credit to the rock&roll,rockabilly,countryrock scene !!!!!
maybe the festival presy Fi Corby could travel around and check out all the venues with all the bands and then see if it is still to "daggy" ......
i also comprehend the status that people build within there own little clicky groups, as i have experienced it!!!
An "Yes"it is not pleasant.
HEY ! and not everyone is like this.
it is only human for people to Pick & Poke & be Jealous & Selfish
Were you looking real good?
cause a lot just dont like it! it is easy for people to twist things to there own advantage so they can look cool, sad but true!!
plus the root of all evil is the mighty dollar!!
Just stay cool, do what you wanna do!
dont change as it cost nothing to smile & be polite
what i have seen over the years are people come & go....
Hi Guys,
Thanks for your support. I was hoping that we could have built this event up over the next couple of years to something special. Alas, with a new short sighted committee they decided, without our knowledge or input, to cancel the Rock'n'roll day and have a blend of more modern music (like every other community festival).
I also don't agree with what was quoted in the paper that "people were leaving in droves" and I thought that it was a good day with numbers increasing from previous years.
Kim and I will continue to push our music in the Sunbury area wherever we can and keep up (work & kids permitting) with our radio show on 3NRG - Rock Therapy Friday nights 7:00 - 9:00.
The real shame is that the North-West of Melbourne, especially St. Albans, Sydenham, Caroline Springs, Taylors Lakes and Sunbury is starved of good live entertainment and when people like Rob and Kim try to push rocknroll with live music and dancing they get shafted by people who are too young or dare I say too ignorant to understand its popularity.
So once again we end up with another festival laced with emo and metal bands who cant play, dreadlock clad ferals banging on drums and cover bands playing the one millionth rendition of Khe-bloody Sanh.
Let's treasure the venues, festivals and clubs that continue to promote great music in this state.
Tony
Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans - J. W. Lennon
Two possibilities, roll over and let it go or fight back.
Why not use the power of the Rock'n'Roll community to avalanche the Festival committee, as well as the Hume City Council local Councillor, with so many E Mails and letters that they cannot help but review their decision.
All we need is a contact list for the target decision makers,
yes, i agree bassthumper, Melbourne has great country, rock'n'roll, rockabilly, cajan , ect bands, there is nothing around this side of town and a lot of venues will not support it, sad as there are a hell of a lot of hotrodders & rockers this side that cannot always travel an hour or so as often as they would like, and it only takes one mouth to bag or voice there dislikes for it to blow any idea for a gig in the west right out of the water !!
so i guess if the dedicated time and persistence is there an the money to keep any project from failing there would be somewhere else for all to attend.
i travel all over Melbourne to see the bands i like, i dont really fuss over the travelling, " have car " have ETAG" go go go .....
Well the good news is the 2008 State Rock'n'Roll Dance Championships will be at Epping. We thought it was about time we took the show to the north of Melbourne.
Saturday, 10 May 2008, Heritage Bar & Grill Receptions, High Street Epping.
Hey Guys, these organisers need to step out of their comfort zones and support those trying to bring a point of difference to their community festival.
Melbournes, Flyin'Saucers have just returned from New Zealands Sth.Island and its biggest car / music festival. There's no rock'n'roll or rockabilly fraternity there, the guys lined up with cover bands of Greenday, ACDC, Hard Rock & Metal there was no grease, no creepers just ordinary joe public (many who'd seen Bon Jovi the night before) they played to thousands of punters who bopped till they dropped and screamed for encores ..After 18yrs of importing bands from the USA, Europe, Aust. etc. and always having different bands...who'd have thought a rockabilly outfit could achieve such response & recognition, that organisers want to break tradition and bring them back.
I think the Sunbury committee should take a leaf outta the Kiwi's book, you can catch the local cover band around anytime, but presenting a point of difference is what can help a festival grow....
Yeah, sure, but is there any reason why there shouldn't be a R'n'R day in Sunbury, if we want one and someone steps up to organize it? We have to support our organizers and I don't just mean the pubs that put on a regular band so that we will go and drink at their establishment. It doesn't matter how good a band is... if someone doesn't organize a gig then a band is just a legend in it's own back yard.
Hey guys,
Thank-you so much for your responses to this situation. I'm amazed that MMRpaul even thought to post the article here, but Rob and myself have always said that the Rock n Roll community is one huge family and we stick together.
As a follow up to Barry's article, we've had some phone calls and Rob and I have a meeting with a possible venue, which may allow us to hold some dances out this side of town, so I'll be sure to keep you all posted. Barry and the Photographer Dennis have both said they'd do a follow up if we got anything happening so let's keep our fingers crossed.
We've always hoped to get some Rock n Roll out his side of town and the surrounding towns would also benefit because it could potentially bring in other business like Accomodation or food or whatever.
If you've attended the festival in recent years for the bands that come to play we'd love you to email the Leader newspaper and dispute what Fi Corboy has said. She told Rob last year that she was "Jealous that Rob was up there dancing with his wife" while he should have been "working" the thing is Rob had done all the hard work so that he could spend the afternoon enjoying the music and having fun. It was also said that people were walking away and not enjoying the music, we dispute that as well but it could be said that we were showing "sour grapes" so we kept quiet.
Two possibilities, roll over and let it go or fight back.
Why not use the power of the Rock'n'Roll community to avalanche the Festival committee, as well as the Hume City Council local Councillor, with so many E Mails and letters that they cannot help but review their decision.
All we need is a contact list for the target decision makers,
and,a list of points that need answering.
Thanks for the support Rob, here are some contact details for you...
Contact details
Office: 30 Station St, Sunbury, 3429
Open: 9am to 5pm weekdays
Phone: 9744 9333
Sport: 9489 2222
Fax: 9744 9300
Distribution: 9875 8300
Insert inquiries: Michael McConville 9875 8124
Editorial
Editor: George Ierodiaconou
Reporters: Caitlin Ryan and Kelly Brown (news), Michael Gleeson and Greg Gliddon (sport)
Photographer: Dennis Manktelow
Phone: 9744 9333
Email: sunbury@leadernewspapers.com.au
Contact Us Printer Friendly
Council welcomes your comments and appreciates your suggestions in relation to this site. We invite you to take a minute to provide us with your feedback.
Hume City Council
PO Box 119 Dallas 3047
Telephone: 9205 2200
Fax: 9309 0109
[QUOTE=RobE;12174]Two possibilities, roll over and let it go or fight back.
Why not use the power of the Rock'n'Roll community to avalanche the Festival committee, as well as the Hume City Council local Councillor, with so many E Mails and letters that they cannot help but review their decision.
All we need is a contact list for the target decision makers,/QUOTE]
One more thing... here is the contact details for the Sunbury Festival Committee... (I feel like I've opened a can of whoop-ass but maybe it needed doing) http://www.sunburycommunityfestival.com.au/
Contact Us:
Sunbury Community Festival Inc.
PO Box 332
Sunbury VIC 3429
Email sunburycommunityfestival@ssc.net.au
Tel: 0423 614 912
Rob and I have no hidden agendas, we gain nothing from participating, we spend alot of money in phone calls, time emailing and organising and we do it only because we love the music and the era.
OK, I sent mine and I'll post the reply, if I get one.
Hey, KKitten, don't be amazed... it's my end of town too. ...and if I had dollar for every time i heard a wife say something like: "Oh I wish my husband would dance with me like that" I have quite a few dollars. Maybe if they completely kill R'n'R in Sunbury you and Rob might like to come North and do a bit of ballroom for a change... we often break for Rock'n'roll and a bit of line dancing at half time
Hey Guys,
I emailed Barry the Journalist with the Leader and put the link to this forum and here is the response I got:
Hi Kim,
Pretty amazing to see all of those responses there.
If one or two of those writers who are taking aim at the festival organisers wrote a letter to the editor here we would publish them.
As for a follow up, the logical way would be with a venue and event organised in which case we could write a story along the lines of ``there is a groundswell of interest in rock n roll,’’ etc. Thanks for keeping me in the loop Kim and drop us a line when you have a gig ready to go.
Cheers
Barry
So now with your support and the Newspaper, maybe we can get something done. I'll be sure to keep you all posted
Kim
Great going Kimmy,
i have just emailed these guys,
hope every one follows suit,
COM`on everybody SUPPORT IS NEEDED !!!!
Thanks Gaylene,
You've been with us from the start the first year when there were a handful of rods and the McFly's playing, in recent years we've had a budget and so had bigger bands, The Blackhiils, The Flyin' Saucers, The Atomic hi-tones, Hank's Jalopy Demons, The Flatfoot Shakers and The Bopcats and gone from a handful of Rods/customs to last year around a hundred... you've seen it grow in five years and we were hoping it would continue to do so.Thanks for sending the email.
Kimmy
Sad news from Sunbury
Re: Sad news from Sunbury
you will get what you need if you do a little research.
Re: Sad news from Sunbury
Re: Sad news from Sunbury
Re: Sad news from Sunbury
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Re: Sad news from Sunbury
Originally Posted by RobE
OK, I sent mine and I'll post the reply, if I get one.
Re: Sad news from Sunbury
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