YOWARLINY EAST COAST TOUR SEPTEMBER 2006

Yowarliny have changed their name to DJIVA and the tour which was originally planned for the East Coast of Australia in September 2006, was altered and took place in the North West of WA during July and August 2007.
The Djiva North West Tour was conducted between 26th of July and the 12th of August, we took five band members plus a sound guy and traveled in a seven seater 1996 Kia Carnival plus trailer. We traveled from Perth to Port Hedland and back performing 10 shows and conducting 2 community workshops. We used our own sound gear and and covered a total distance of 5000kms throughout the 2 weeks and sold around 83 CD's. Overall the tour was a great success, we received a good deal of publicity, especially front page of the Geraldton Gazette as well as selling a good amount of CD's. Audience responses was mostly very positive as well as feedback from venue management.
We had a few hurdles on the tour, including dynamics between the new band members. Della Rae and I put this down to inexperience as we had the members of the tour who had never toured or performed in a professional band before. Another wrong mistake we made was to take a guy to do sound who wasn't a professional sound guy. We all ended up working things out with the gear but it was very time consuming.
On the last leg of the tour we were booked to perform our last gig at the Ningaloo Reef Resort, but unfortunately our van broke down in Nanutarra 250kms out of Coral Bay and 3 band members caught a bus home while the rest of us was stuck there for another 3 days. We finally borrowed a 4WD from Della Rae's cousin in Tom price and got back to Perth safely with all the gear.
Looking back we really enjoyed the tour and can see that it was hugely beneficial to the release our new album. We also toured the Kimberley's in September which worked as a great follow through tour. We plan on touring again at the same time this year and traveling all the way to Darwin via the West Coast.

JESS & THE PAIGE BOYS
This was the biggest tour that I had been on and the first with my band. I learnt a lot about touring, travel and roads up the East Coast, eating cheaply and so on. Also looking after gear and parking with a trailer, travelling with the band and how important it is to stay with friends to make ends meet. I also found out things about my band members and who responds well in a crisis etc .
But the stuff I value most is the knowledge of the venues, their sound systems, the sound engineers, the other bands and artists and venue operators and bookers I met for future gigs. Every venue wanted us back even though at some gigs there weren’t many people there, so musically we went over really well and we got quite a few new fans.

I met some delightful radio hosts when I did the radio interviews. But interestingly when my manager Marion and I looked at what really made a difference in terms of numbers at gigs.. the extra publicity in Brisbane didn’t draw the numbers we thought. The situation and reputation of the venue seemed to be very important. Shepparton was the best gig with a fantastic reception and we will be further developing that area with radio, distribution and venue co-operation and using that as a model for other areas we will play at in future. Although the publicity didn’t generate large numbers at most gigs, we realize that it got my name and music out and it will pay off over time as we continue to build.

TECOMA
Acquittal still to come….

ILLZILLA
Acquittal still to come….

MASTER PEACE WALL
Thank you for the JB Seed grant, this made possible the creation of our communicate wall here at St George Youth Services (17 Bay street).
15 youth aged between 14 and 15 coming from 4 different cultures (Muslim,
Lebanese, Macedonian and Greek) painted side by side in a group effort making this mural not only representing the various cultures within the St-George area but making this mural a multicultural group effort. Representing so many cultures wasn’t an easy task. We had numerous changes in design to accommodate all the cultures present in the St-George area and also basing them on the current abilities of our newly trained young artist.

In cooperation with Mat Peet the students came up with a creative suggestion:
“We should write a big COMMUNICATE word a fill it with 35 different languages all saying hello. “
These students came from 5 schools in the region, Moorefield girls, Kogarah High, Kingsgrove High, Hurstville Boys and James Cook High. They are participating within a Links to Learning program and are referred to us to give them more support and enhance their self-esteem through the realisation of projects and workshops.
These aspiring artists were assisted 3 workshops given by Mathew Peet (local graffiti artist) to help them develop the skills and self-esteem in producing this mural.

When they started some had very little practice in art drawing and were quite uncomfortable drawing new design. With the support of the staff and Mat Peet they started exploring drawing as a mean of expression and gained more confidence in their abilities and abilities of learning new skills. They were eager to get started on the wall; some even stayed later in the day to prepare the wall with a layer of new paint.

On Friday the 31st of August, 15 students stood surprised and excited in front of their completed artwork.

At our centre we had a 2 day workshop a about racism and 120 students were present, many positive comments were heard by staff in those two days about the mural. Some of the comments: It looks mad! I did this! (Pointing to the speech bubble.) Yeah look at what I DID. Look at that!

HOW RADIATION MAKES YOU SICK
The aim of this project was to produce of a series of posters for Indigenous communities explaining the health and environmental risks associated with nuclear activities and facilities in an accessible, but scientifically sound, manner.

Initial text and rough ideas for the poster design was drafted by a number of anti-nuclear activists and brought to the 2007 Alliance Against Uranium (renamed the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance) meeting near Alice Springs in August. A session at this meeting was dedicated to explaining and getting input from indigenous participants into the text and designs (see attached photos).

The revised text was then sent to the designer, Natalie Lowrey, to be developed into initial poster designs.
The initial outcome for this project was the development of four plain English posters - Radiation and Health, Waste and Tailings, Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Nukes and Water.

Funding for the revised project was $10 000, $5000 of which was provided by the JB Seed fund.
Funds for the development of Indigenous language posters remain available to the project. These will be developed over coming months in consultation with community members as they are requested.

CLUB REFUGEES
The JB Seed contributed $4,700 towards the workshopping and launch of Actors for Refugees' new show, Open House, which took place in August 2006. Our past shows focused on refugees' flight and their Australian detention experience, but this time, we wanted to reflect on the relationships that have developed between refugees, asylum seekers and long-time Australian residents over the last few years, particularly now that the majority of refugees are out of detention and living in the community, on bridging, temporary or permanent visas. (continues .....)

We felt the need to acknowledge the way these relationships contribute to a sense of belonging for the newcomers, but also as evidence of the possibility and value of community connectedness for everyone. We wanted to inspire our audiences to get out there and do something themselves, not simply 'feel sorry' for others or go away feeling angry and frustrated.

We pulled together a strong and varied collection of stories, which, though focused on friendships, were multi-layered in that they wove in references to the past – why people fled their homes, their time in detention, how they survive on temporary and bridging visas.

The launch of Open House took place at North Melbourne ArtsHouse, in the main hall, at 3pm on Sunday 13th August 2006. We were very happy with lighting and sound set-up, and we had a good turnout, filling something like 190 out of 194 seats. Some pieces worked better than others. One or two needed more shaping and editing. People said they were moved, and people laughed – which is important!
It was a great pleasure to work on Open House with AFR. The capacity to spend time on research and rehearsal meant many things including that the young Lebanese-Australian performer was able to create a performance script that reflected on the war in Lebanon and its direct impact on him and his family here.

The decision to tell the stories of connections and friendship between refugees and longer term residents had an immediate result. After the performance several people who had not previously done anything practical in relation to refugees offered to volunteer at Asylum Seeker Resource centre and collect food for those on Bridging Visa E.

The process gave us time to think about way to encourage schools to engage more directly with refugees in their communities and to build that into the performance process.

Thank you for your generosity JB Seed. It is very encouraging and life affirming when artists choose to support each other when they can. JB Seed is an important and useful model to demonstrate that enough is enough, generosity is valuable and mutual support vital.

C IMATE OF HOPE
"Climate of Hope" is a 28 minute animated DVD produced on almost no budget, for the purpose of demystifying the nuclear industry, with particular regard to claims about nuclear energy's potential contribution to climate mitigation.

In February 2007, a draft of the the project was premiered at a gathering of the national anti-nuclear movement in Katoomba, NSW. A month later, a revised edit was screened for the first time at the Alexander Libarary in Perth, to a good reception.

With the help of The JB Seed funding, and an additional contribution from the Beyond Nuclear Initiative (BNI), in April 2007, 3200 copies of the DVD were produced. 1000 of these were distributed in the eastern states by the BNI network, and 2000 were distributed in Western Australia.

At the time of writing, there have been 25 public screenings in WA, many of them at small local events, universities and regional centres including Bunbury, Margaret River, Denmark, Albany, Geraldton and the Shire of Murchison.
In WA, two large screenings were hosted and promoted by ANAWA (the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of WA), while smaller screenings were hosted by student groups, Greens regional groups, independent community organisations and a student college.
On 19 August the film was screened nationally on the Foxtel community station 'Aurora', with the support of CTV Perth.

The DVD was also incorporated into the promotional materials of the 'Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle III" (http://canc.org.au/) who conducted screenings along the entire route of their four month, 4500 km ride from Rockhampton to Adelaide.

While the project took longer to conclude than anticipated (due to a large number of script rewrites, changes for accuracy and election commitments), the DVD has been a very successful tool for promoting renewable solutions to the climate challenge while debunking some of the more misleading claims of the nuclear industry. Particularly during an election year, I believe a the project filled a useful niche as a (hopefully) non-dogmatic, even-handed and entertaining guide to these important issues.

While the production was achieved on almost no budget at all, the contribution of the JB Seed foundation was essential in giving the Anti-Nuclear Alliance the ability to finance a large enough production run to last all year and underpin the screenings. It also proved a highly effective fundraising tool; despite the copyleft provisions and generous concession costs, most discs still sold for between $5 and $15.

The help of the JB Seed fund and the team has been invaluable for ANAWA and for me personally; your support is warmly appreciated.

Online at Engagemedia:
www.engagemedia.org (high-res screening version also available at this site)

AGENTS OF CHANGE – ARABIC YOUTH FILM
Acquittal still to come….

KRISTA POLVERE
My trip to New York has been a positive and fulfilling experience. So much so that I have decided to extend my stay here and have not yet returned to Australia. Shortly after my arrival here I met with Marc Swersky and began my songwriting sessions. Once Marc and I wrote songs that I felt represented the direction I wanted to take my music in, we endeavoured to go into the studio and record a 5 song EP which he produced.

I would like to thank the JB Seed board in providing me with the opportunity to travel to New York so soon and I will always be grateful.

I feel confident about my decision to come here and am completely dedicated to following this through. In hope that one day I will have the backing to record, release and promote an album.

LAZARE AGNESKIS
I learnt an enormous amount of song writing skills and tricks that I would never of thought to use. Paul helped me to refine the melodies and lyrics of my songs to make them more concise and fluent. I am forever grateful to the JB Seed for giving me this opportunity and to Paul for his insight and commitment to building new Australian talent.
The songs we worked on are now almost complete and sound so much better and meaningful than they did before. Paul helped pick parts of the song that sounded good and could even be repeated, as well as cutting out the parts that weren’t that good or didn’t really suit the song.
All the skills I’ve leant will be with me for life and will help me not only for my own compositions but also when I collaborate with other artists. As I compose and perform with my main band ‘San Lazaro’ this experience will no doubt have an affect on the songs we write. I can bring the skills I’ve learnt about arranging and refining ideas to the band.

LAURENCE MEIKLE – OPERA STUDY IN SYDNEY
Each of the teachers I had planned to work with was quite busy, and it took some time to negotiate a suitable week where they were all available for lessons and coaching the week chosen was the week 18th December.

Writing this report some three weeks after the completion of the project, I feel as though I am a completely different person. My singing and devotion to my art form is so great, that when positive things happen in my professional life I am affected personally also.

I feel that my time in Sydney and the subsequent weeks I have had to refine and concentrate on the skills I learned, have changed the way I sing and perform completely. The most important element is probably my confidence. My experiences in working with these figures who are at the forefront of the Australian and international opera scenes have taught me that I am on the right path to developing a career.

Since my return to Melbourne, I have noticed many changes in my voice and my singing. My vocal range has increased – I can sing higher than before. I find that I am able to learn new music quickly now, because the Italian and the French languages are becoming more like second nature to me now.

As I stated above, there were difficulties with organising times with people. I'm not sure how to address these sorts of issues – opera is a busy industry, and the conductors didn't want to commit to exact times until perhaps he day before. Another difficulty that I hadn't thought of, was the fact that I packed so many lessons into one week. Not only was I a bit vocally tired, but found it difficult to retain all of the new things I was learning. Recording these sessions was good, as I can now revise each of them.

Apart from the formal parts of the project – the lessons and coachings – I felt like I gained an insight into the operations of our national opera company. Working in the Opera Centre and Opera House each day was fascinating – I was able to watch rehearsals and see operas in their various stages of production I also was able to meet singers, and spent many lunchtimes chatting with, and getting advice from, singers who I have admired for many years.

Getting some positive feedback and encouragement from internationally acclaimed baritone, Michael Lewis has really increased my confidence. I feel as though the world is waiting for me now. I am consolidating the necessary skills and as my voice matures, I will be able to pursue my dreams of building a career as an opera singer.

SCOTT BENNING - MUSIC IN CALCUTTA
I was awarded the JB Seed grant last year for a period of music study in Calcutta. In the original grant application, I stated that I would be having lessons with my former teacher from the Rotterdam conservatorium, Siddharth Krishna. In the end he could not make it due to the impending birth of his first child. I then approached the teacher who gave the annual master classes at the Rotterdam Conservatorium, Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee, who resides in Calcutta.

Having lessons again with Pandit Mukherjee was a truly inspiring experience. They were all one-on-one lessons and covered all aspects of sitar playing. Any questions I had were answered and any technique I wanted to learn was demonstrated clearly. I recorded all the lessons so I have a lot of material to work on now that I am back in Australia. I also saw him perform three times during my visit to Calcutta.

I feel that my ten week stay in Calcutta has had an extremely positive effect upon my playing. My technique has improved an become stronger and my musicality and feel has been enhanced by the exposure to such high calibre artists and by being in such a unique musical environment.

CLAUDIA CHAMBERS
I received the wonderful opportunity to receive a professional development tabla mentorship of eight sessions with Bobby Singh. These sessions took place at Bobby Singh’s home between September 2006 and January 2007.
The work we did together on ways of learning rhythm by vocalising has already expanded my parameters as a teacher of rhythm. I have already begun to introduce some of these ideas into my classes as an alternative approach to learning and conceptualising rhythm. In this way, I feel that the mentorship has taken my teaching into a new area, which will have lasting benefits for students.
As well as the rhythmic knowledge I gained from studying with Bobby, the experience has reinvigorated my own inspiration about music and learning. Through his sharing about the way music is viewed within his cultural tradition, and his guidance as a teacher, my own daily musical practice has improved and I am starting 2007 with an inspired outlook about possibilities for musical collaboration, teaching and development.

ALISHA BROOKS - ROMANY MUSIC STUDY IN TURKEY
The lessons took place between the 2nd August and 5th September 2006, in Istanbul, Turkey. The original plan of the lessons was changed slightly, to less time with Ahmet and more with Savas as it quickly became clear that this would be the most productive.

Savas and I had lessons, performed and recorded together. Through all of this I established one of the most important musical relationships of my career. Savas showed me the true essence of this music and the depths of the language, of which the similarities to my background in jazz improvisation are endless. I am still very much at beginning of learning Turkish Romany style, however I now have a much greater understanding of what it is and where it comes from.


I now have an understanding of the fundamentals enough to be able to continue studying it, even when so far from anyone who is really able to teach it. I made several recordings of and with Savas which now will be valuable for further study.

The zurna is a traditional instrument in many countries and has a special place in Turkish music. The Turkish style is unique and by far the most detailed. Ahmet Elbasan is one of the most accomplished player in Turkey and is a master of the Turkish Romany style.

The fundamentals of zurna playing are simple enough yet require massive amounts of time and practice to accomplish. Building stamina and learning the circular breathing technique are long term goals and learning the fingering and the pitches of two scales were the short term goals. I accomplished enough in our time together to be able to play some simple sons and scales, but mostly I learnt how to practice the instrument and work towards the long term goals

8 BALL AITKEN
From October 9 to 12, 2006, between the hours of 10 am to 5 pm, 8 Ball Aitken studied pedal steel guitar with mentor Michel Rose.
The schedule was followed to allow allocated time for all avenues and ideas to be developed and followed through within the allocated time limits. The 7-hour days proved to be adequate time for learning and the maximum time for concentration possible for healthy learning.

The hardest learning curve involved was focusing non-stop for periods of up to 3 hours of new information at one time.

Since the intensive study with Michel Rose, 8 Ball has moved up from playing a single neck pedal steel guitar to a fully-fledged professional double-neck pedal steel guitar with 8 pedals and 3 knee-leavers.

The project was of great benefit in terms of professional development. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with one of Australia’s leading session musicians, who has recorded pedal steel, mandolin, dobro and guitar for the likes of INXS, Silverchair, K.D. Lang, Slim Dusty, Lee Kernaghan, and hundreds of others over the last 20 years of his professional career.

Thank you so much for implementing the JB Seed Management workshop – it was without doubt one of the most informative and inspiring experiences of my career. I trust it achieved all your goals and hope it exceeded your expectations! Everyone has been frantically emailing each other so the lines of communication are well and truly in place for all the managers, so inspired is everyone. Feels like the beginning of the next wave for independent music in Australia. To create and effect such a network is a huge achievement in itself, so thank you again. Just brilliant. The seeds are already sprouting...... Katherine Beard, Extended Family, Kaya, The Maids

I feel totally rejuvenated with my role as a manager, and motivated to now go on and create pathways to success for both my artist and myself. Kate Mills, The Jacknives

Thank you for inviting us to be a part of your vision and committing to assist us with ours. In doing so you have effectively created the first independent managers forum in this country; a forum and collective built on heart, head and faith and of which we are blessed and also working to be a part. Watch the seed grow .....
Megan Bowman, Self-managed

You guys are the best thing I have dealt with on the industry side of things. Thank you all for your inspiration, ideas, passion and advice. I strongly believe the music industry will be a better world thanks to you all. On behalf of myself and Casual Projects, I sincerely thank you for this amazing experience.
Julian Abrahams, Casual Projects

This workshop was an invaluable resource that I'd recommend to any emerging manager. Top stuff JB Seed Crew!
Alex Beck, The Harlequin Smile

This experience has been a major and vital turning point in my life. Not only in the way I conduct business but also how I conduct myself as a person. The entire JB Seed Crew have made such an inspirational impact and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Matt Irvin, Self-managed Soloist

I sincerely hope many more managers are able to experience what I have with the JB Seed. I look forward to sharing our collective positive outcomes with your crew and wish you all peace in the years to come. The JB Seed is an integral support program for music managers across Australia! You guys got soul ..... yeah!
Elizabeth Kilby, Kafka, The Dynamic Thrills, Kooii