John Shand | Music & Other Spheres Posts

January 22, 2017 / Concert Reviews - Archive

Sydney Town Hall, January 13 7/10 Our ears are cunningly designed to detect a sound’s source. Perhaps the greatest wonder of Ellen Fullman’s long string instrument (LSI) – so called because of its 25-metres length – is that it fooled the ears. The vibrating strings were too long to have…

January 19, 2017 / Concert Reviews - Archive

Village Stage, January 7 7/10 At last. With the arrival of the Village Stage Sydney Festival is finally featuring Australian bands, the event having ignored local musicians to a scandalous degree for years. It is a free, sit-on-the-lawn affair, but despite being outdoors (with a stiff breeze) the sound was…

January 16, 2017 / Features - Archive

The smoke curling from the tiny terrace in Erskineville might have resulted from some chemical reaction rather than cigarettes. Inside was Jackie Orszaczky’s crucible of music: relentless practising, composing, arranging and rehearsing. His influence continues to bubble away in dozens of acts including Boy and Bear, Petulant Frenzy, Lucie Thorne…