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Boogie On Beaumont 2008
Friday 24th October
5:30pm - 10:30pm

Presented by Hamilton Business Committee and in it's sixth year running, Boogie on Beaumont is one of many events that are part of Newcastle Music Week.

BoB 2008 promises to be bigger than ever.

This year Hamilton is preparing to experience a diverse range of performers and musical style ranging from latin to jazz, reggae, hip-hop, swing and rocksteady.

Merewether High School Jazz Band and The Conservatroium Jazz Orchestra will kick the event off with some big band swing. Some spectacular funk, jazz and latin will follow with The Civic Big Band, The Jolyon Briggs Band and Cubana.

Local Punk/Ska act "The Porkers" are playing their one and only show for '08 and hip-hop crew Last Kinnection will keep the party going while street performers Pyrokinesis entertain the crowd with circus tricks and fire twirling.

Boogie on Beaumont is an all ages event that takes advantage of Beaumont Street's cultural and vibrant atmosphere of cafes and al-fresco dining.

Be sure not to miss out on this awesome event on beautiful Beaumont Street.

The Porkers

Yeah it's a silly name for a band, but to their legion of dedicated fans, it's just a name, and The Porkers are an entire experience!
Formed in Newcastle in 1987, The Porkers are now Australia's longest running band that plays "ska" music.
Ska is a very misunderstood music genre - it is the upbeat father of reggae, made popular in the 80's by U.K. bands like Madness and The Specials, and in Australia by the Allniters and Strange Tenants.
The Porkers mix this rhythm with a mish-mash of styles and punch it home with a pop-punk vibe. The music is uplifting dance music which highlights The Porkers brass section. So diverse is their sound that they are one band who can share a stage with Royal Crown Revenue one night, and then Suicidal Tendancies the next, - and they've done both!
In 1994 The Porkers released their first album - "Grunt!" it was described by Sydney's Drum Media as "a masterpiece of ska brilliance" and was soon picked up for U.S. release by New York label MoonSka records and established the band as one of the forerunners on a global level as what was to become the "3rd wave of ska".
This album was released in Australia on Pete Porkers own Sound System Records label, as have all of the band's recordings. "Hot Dog Daiquiri" was the second album released in 1998, and Dicky Barrett lead singer of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones said - "It's F*#%king Awesome!"
On the back of this album the band performed at almost every festival here in Australia and were asked to perform on the USA leg of the Vans Warped Tour alongside the likes of Blink 182, Eminem, the Black Eyed Peas and Ice T, along with other Aussies Frenzal Rhomb, The Living End and Grinspoon. Returning home from the U.S. The Porkers headlined the second stage at Homebake filling in the slot between Powderfinger and Silverchair, unleashing songs from their new album "Time will Tell". This album included the punky-reggae anthem "Too big for your boots" and the mellow "Waiting for us" which was remixed by New Zealand's SalmonellaDub.
In 2000 The porkers were invited to perform and entertain the international athletes at the Sydney Olympic Village. The top 100 greatest Australian bands were listen in Ralph magazine in 2001, The Porkers made the list, sitting nicely between Ray Brown and the Whispers and The Masters Apprentices.
2004 saw the boys off to Japan for the first time, as part of this tour they were asked to headline the annual "Larks in the Park Festival" in Osaka, in front of over 8000 fans they delivered one of their best performances which was all captured on tape and released in 2005 as "The Porkers live at Nakanishima".
Over the years their albums have been released on over 5 continents, they've had tracks included on over 30 international compilation albums. They have toured New Zealand, USA, Eaurope and Asia.
Their track "Enter Porkman" was used in the USA as the theme music to "The best of the Tom Green Show", and another track "Swinging like Tiger Woods" was requested for use on the "Ellen Degeneres Show".
2007 marks a 20 yeear milestone for the "band of no-goods from Newie", but there seems no stopping them yet, with a DVD release and new studio material set for release. All this may be supported by a world tour with invitations from Russia, Japan and Brazil, and as history has show, anything is possible in the world of Pork!
Drew Barrymore once said - "what a great name for a band!"


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The Jolyon Briggs Band

Music is in Jolyon's genes:

He draws great inspiration from some of the best 'Piano Men' of modern times, Billy Joel, Harry Connick Jr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Stevie Wonder, and others. His style remains uniquely 'Jolyon': a gifted tunesmith who writes strong, punchy lyrics that touch on a range of political, social and personal issues. His hooks and melodies get you singing along and his passionate delivery draws you in and takes you for an exciting and provocative ride.

Jolyon grew up listening to music of all kinds. His opportunistic nature meant he relished exploring different ideas and trying new experiences so during the years at Hunter School of Performing Arts (Newcastle, NSW) his musical dexterity grew. He sang and played guitar, saxophone, drums and keyboard in countless ensembles such as stage bands, marching bands, choirs, covers bands and contemporary heavy metal groups. He also accompanied other vocalists and began to experiment with songwriting.

After leaving his alma mater, he continued to discover new genres:
Jazz singing and improvising - Vocals and keyboard with 'The Briggs Trio', playing saxophone with 'Afro Moses', on guitar with 'The Ultra Swing Lounge', drumming with 'Aroldytes Revenge' and dropping in for session work with various blues outfits and 'Big Bands'.
However creating his own music was always a dream, so that is what occupies centre stage at the moment. 'The Jolyon Briggs Band' has been gaining momentum and receiving rave reviews for their live show.

"This guy has the potential to give Ben Folds a run for his money" Grant Walmsley of The Screaming Jets

The style on his debut self-titled EP has a very commercial and accessible jazz/funk/pop sound. A five-piece band knocks out some standout solos and funky horn lines while he plays classy piano and powers through the storylines with energetic vocals.
He is looking to take his music to wider audience in 2008 and promises to leave no stage un-funked.

Contact him at: jolyon_briggs@hotmail.com Ph: 0401739189

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Merewether High School Senior Jazz Band

The Merewether High School Senior Jazz Band has existed for many years, but was taken over in 2005 by Mrs Rebekah McClure.

Over the past three years the band has evolved into what is now a thriving music ensemble, with an ever increasing amount of talent joining the ensemble. Students who play in the Senior Jazz Band undergo an audition process and must be of a certain performance standard to be a part of the group.

The aim of the ensemble is to foster the creativity of the many gifted and talented students at Merewether High School. The ensemble provides opportunities for the more experienced musicians within the school and therefore produces a high quality big band sound.

Over the past year, the ensemble has performed at school, local and state events, and has succeeded in many competitions. Their first places in the Muswellbrook Eisteddfod and Lake Macquarie 'Bandfest', and their performance in the Hunter/Central Coast Regional Music Festival spurred them on musically to bigger and better things. This culminated in their most recent gig, "Generations in Jazz", a national jazz competition held in Mt Gambier - South Australia, headed up by James Morrison, where they successfully competed in the 2nd top division.

The line up of the ensemble has changed dramatically over the past three years with a mixture of senior, more experienced players and talented younger members entering the band, seeing the ensemble grow from six members to a full line up of seventeen.

The band is always looking to further its ability by performing an increasing number of challenging pieces, as well as experimenting with different styles of jazz. Many of the members also enjoy improvising and pushing their own personal musical boundaries.

The Last Kinection

Destiny and musical genes has led to the inevitable, highly anticipated collaboration of this hip hopping trio, 'The Last Kinection'.
Joel, Naomi and Jacob are no strangers to success within this industry. Naomi (MC Nay) was one half of Australia's sexiest R&B Pop sensation 'Shakaya'.
Within a week of calling it a day from 'Shakaya', Nay gets a call from big brother Joel (Weno) with the news that he and Jacob (DJ Jay Tee) had the same fate with their group 'Local Knowledge'.
So, this was it!
The time had come to join forces, without limitations and hesitations.
The foundation behind this musical connection is family!

Their debut album, pronounced Nu-tches. ('u' as in Put), which has now been dedicated in loving memory to their beloved grandmother, 'Nutches'.
The tracks were written by MC Nay and Weno, through their reality. It's the soundtrack to their lives.
Their very first show was to an audience of 13000 people at The Stylin' Up festival in Brisbane, 2006. They have been on the stages of Brisbane's River Festival, The Woodford Dreaming Festival, The Sydney State Theatre for the 'Cannot Buy My Soul' sell out concert series, performing alongside Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly, Tex Perkins, Kev Carmody and The Drones. The Newcastle Civic Theatre. The Sydney Opera House, the sold out Groovin the Moo festival in Maitland earlier this year, also featuring The Presets, Sneaky Sound System and Katalyst among others.
They've rocked Sydney Uni's Manning Bar and the University of Newcastle's Bar On The Hill on numerous occasions.
The Last Kinection also run highly sought after music workshops, covering music biz insight, production, singing, rapping and dj techniques, lyric writing and performance/stage techniques. They have conducted these workshops in schools, youth and community centres and festivals.
There achievements so far have been outstanding, now loaded with this strong album, industry and community support, it's an exciting time, watching them escalate.

For further info, media enquiries, performance and workshop bookings contact:
Adriana Rios
Blackchili Productions
0402354382

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Civic Big Band

The Civic Big Band was first formed at the end 2004 by a group of young local instrumentalists, most of whom attended the Newcastle Conservatorium. Through a common affection for jazz and swing they began running through charts and enjoying the music that for most of them, is the reason they have strived to be better on their instruments.
After a few months, the odd gig here and there started popping up and before they knew it they had secured a residency playing at the Civic Hotel. Although the original aim was just to have a bit of fun, the Civic Big Band really tries to push themselves. Stretching their own limits through challenging repertoire and really getting into the nitty gritty jazz nuances that give the music so much character.
Some highlight gigs include: Cancer Councils 'Giggle Ball'
Newcastle Law Associations 'Law Ball'
Newcastle Music Week 2006 and (a wet) 2007
Newcastle Festival Opera's 'Music and Moonlight'
Wandin Valley Winery for the 'Lovedale Long Lunch'

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