What a surprise.

Tintenbar Up Front is renowned as a "night of surprise", but to have the whole hall spontaneously pack up their chairs and start dancing, THAT was a surprise.
We started the evening with a new concept, a dinner music busker. Ebony Quinlivan filled the bill deliciously with voice, uke and kalimba.
Gregory Pimm kicked off the regular part of the evening with his unique guitar and vocal versions of  favourites, Creedence's "Who'll Stop The Rain?" Tracy Chapman's "Talking About A Revolution," and "It's A Wonderful World."
Lee Kingston continued the popular songs with The Waifs "Bridal Train," Sarah Blasko's "We Won't Run" and finished with an original about the freedom felt after the family has departed. Strummed guitar beautifully complemented her evocative voice.
Tony Koellner demonstrated why he should be nominated for a living national treasure award by having the audience convulsed with laughter from one hilarious poem to the next about holidays, what it means to be Australian, nature's beauty and one about a pokie-addicted wife who pulls the wrong handle in her sleep. My face was sore! 
Wendy and Nick Simpson did jazzy versions of two Bach pieces and Bela Fleck's "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo." The interplay of piano and 6 string bass was superb, each soloing in turn. In Prelude #1, the quick trills of the piano at one point went into double time. It was quite a virtuosic performance, well applauded by the appreciative audience.
After tea, coffee and socialising, Bronny and the Bishops did four satirical parodies: advice for Tony in "Run Abbott Run," a tribute to Tony's vision for the future in "My Sweet Coal," a plea from Chris in "Christopher Pyne Is Saying His Prayers," and finishing with a tribute to the beauty of capitalism: "I love to live in an economy, society reduced to graphs and numbers..." Humorous dialogue interwove with the songs performed on piano, guitar, kazoo and percussion.
Rod Sims performed a delicate set. Finger picked guitar and gentle vocals were well suited to Peter, Paul and Mary's "Down a Down," a Calvin Russell number, Neil Young's "Have You Ever Been Lost," and the standout original song "I Never Got No Photograph."
The Disreputables, consisting of guitar players Helen Pollock and Nick Repin, with Gary Fenton on cajon performed lively South American pieces. Great rhythms, tunes and playing.
James Webb, a well loved regular, performed with flourishes on the guitar well chosen sing along songs. The Eagles "Peaceful Easy Feeling" was followed by two made famous by the King: "Teddy Bear" and "That's Alright." 
Black Train are a Lismore-based band, featuring guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass and vocals. They got the hall tapping their feet to infectious versions of Woodie Guthrie, Blind Willy McTell, gospel and John Prine songs (among others). That is when the whole hall packed up their chairs and started dancing. Totally unexpected, and totally wonderful. Everyone left elated. We will have them back hopefully later in the year for more toe tapping and thigh slapping.


$510 was raised for the Princess Alexandra Research Foundation (cancer research).
Photos of the night are in the gallery. 


Canadian troubadour Gordie Tentrees 
(details and bookings HERE) will be with us for a one off performance Wednesday February 25, supported by fabulous young local Bradley Stone. 
A good audience for this new initiative will mean more touring artists visiting Tintenbar hall in future.