Eclectic Electric

| Bendigo Weekly | 23-Jun-2011

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It’s another busy time for Bendigo in the world of ‘sound art’…

Firstly, local musician and radio presenter Mick Derrick – aka Metal Mick, presenter of Phoenix FM’s weekly experimental music program On The Wires Of Our Nerves – is one of the locals behind a noise/sound art extravaganza, coming up at the Newmarket Hotel on July 16.
Called the Eclectic Electric Experimental Music Festival, 10 hours of contemporary experimental music will blast/leak from the Newmarket’s PA on July 16.
Kicking off at 2pm, the festival features more than 13 local and Melbourne bands and artists – including Jacques Soddell from Bendigo’s Undue Noise – with band names such as Sore, Dead River, Bum Creek and Blankface Distortion. I love it. Having met Mick a few times, I have to say that I think he is one of Bendigo’s treasures.
He’s the kind of guy who gets excited about scoring a crateful of movies on obsolete VHS.
Same with cassettes (one of his main interests on Mick’s Facebook page is Cassette Culture).
You just know he’s going to find a way to make them work – either by giving them to other dedicated tape-o-files – and yes, even in this digital age, they are out there – or come up with some kooky creative way of using them.
No doubt the audio from his cassettes will be put to good use in Eclectic Electric when it comes time for Mick to take to the stage for his own crazy music set.
Events like Eclectic Electric reinforce the excitement I have about living in Bendigo; occasionally underground events emerge to prove that a whole subculture of quiet creatives are working away in our own backyard for little or no money, undaunted, evolving how we see or hear the world we live in.
Again, I love it.
Speaking of Jacques Soddell… He’s been busy helping to organise another visit to Bendigo by “sense specific” Festival of Sound Arts, Liquid Architecture, now in its 12th year.
Due to hit town next Wednesday, this is also Liquid Architecture’s fourth visit to Bendigo, such has Dragon City’s reputation as a sound arts supporter grown over the past decade.
Boasting “sound massages” in the afternoon between 2pm to 5pm by French artist Pascal Battus, and a full-blown concert from 8pm, LA12 will ensconce itself at Latrobe University’s Visual Arts Centre in View Street, instantly making a liar out of the venue (think about it!)
Lazy’s Dave Brown from Melbourne, Lukas Simonis from The Netherlands and Australian classical-violinist-cum-field-recordist Lizzie Pogson, will also take part in the Concert, which begins at 8pm.
The “sound massages” are unique “one on one” sound performances which I dare say rattle you to your bones.
Lastly – told you it was busy! - this week I came across a new national arts competition presented by Bendigo’s Flare Magazine and Grapho Allegiance group.
The call for entries opened this week and closes September 2.
The idea is for artists to make work in any medium around the theme, “Analogue To Digital”.
The competition will culminate in a special one-night-only exhibition at the Trades Hall in View Street, on October 14.
“Open to artists of all kinds all around Australia”, co-organiser Bianka Loria is very excited about the possibilities ‘Analogue 2 Digital’ offers young visual and sound artists.
Bianka herself is an inspiring local artist – a graphic interior designer no less – with grand ideas about Bendigo’s arts possibilities.
More about her soon…

Liquid Archictecture, June 29, La Trobe Visual Arts Centre, View St., Bendigo. www.liquidarchitecture.org.au. Bendigo enquiries: 0421 786 595 or jacques@cajid.com.
Find details for Eclectic Electric Experimental Music Festival on Facebook. July 16, Newmarket Hotel, 2pm – midnight.
Analogue 2 Digital arts competition details at www.flareflareflare.com. Entries close September 2, 2011.
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