In the previous newsletter we gave you the rundown of the workshops. These are booking well! Of course the Newkulele workshops are separately ticketed, as is the Friday night concert, but some people ask the question of the perpetually perplexed ...
.... what do I get for a weekend pass?
Newkulele is here - what a Weekend Pass gets you ....
- Access to all of the Carrington venues all weekend
- Feature concerts and not-so-feature concerts (not Friday night)
- That Newkulele-Carrington weekend vibe
- A warm fuzzy that you are supporting the shedload of work that the volunteers, performers and committee have put into providing this great weekend.
Enjoying the vibe
Newkulele is a vibe, and so is Carrington - this village in the middle of our harbour. We've put together a great program in 4 beautiful community venues. Be a part of the village and festival with your weekend pass, cruising the different community groups sharing their love of music-making in cafes and the street.
Some people (editor included) just like 'hanging out' at festivals, soaking up the vibe, pressing the flesh, jamming, cross fertilising, listening and, (some of us) preening. But the more diligent of you will know that fulfilling performances require a listening audience. Be fulfilled, and the fulfilment! Listen and enjoy the vibrant musical street life.
Weekend highlights
It's always a difficult thing - 'picking the best'. But you can try this yourself:
1. Wandering the cafes from 10am-1pm on Saturday and you'll see a great diversity of musicianship and hutzpah.
2. Sunday - The Pavilion has three great local uke acts from 11 til 1. On the Green at the Bowlo we'll have acts from 10 until 1.
3. But if we must choose other highlights, then we must...
Saturday Arvo at the Bowlo
From 1pm to 4:30pm you can experience the joy that choirs and ukulele community groups bring to the participants and their audiences.
Saturday Night at the Bowlo
Our second 'feature concert' is part of your weekend ticket. The show kicks off at 5:30pm with Central Coast darlings Mirrabooka, followed by the strange Melburnian comic/tragedy of Sophisitcateandbetty. Just after you've ordered dinner from the Cowper Street Diner and topped up your victuals, local legends Jack, Jel, Mac n Wal will hold your beer and attention, followed by the ukulele and fiddle wizardry of Green Fieldz. Closing up the evening is Audrey, a youngster shaking up our misconceptions about the gentle ukulele world. We should all be in bed by 9:30 ready for another big day on Sunday.
The Festival Parade and the Sunday Arvo Concert
The Festival Finale on Sunday (1-2pm) is the goal. It's here where participants from every workshop come together to show off what they've learned together. This concert is capped off by an all-in rendition of Bob Marley's Could you be loved? It will be amazing!
The main stage then has a short break full of outside drumming which leads us into the closing concert featuring your local hosts (2 different local ukestras), the hosts from the Valla Beach Ukulele Camp (on next year) and a heavy metal band confined to acousticness.
Venue change (ever so slight) and now the inclusion of an open jam session
We've spoken about the Carrington venues in a previous newsletter - read about that here.
Cafe Tapestry had some sort of private conniption and pulled out of the festival at the last minute. No biggie, we replaced that venue with a tent on the Carrington Bowling Club Green.
If it is possible to enhance the vibe at the Club, then this is it.
not only that, but, and, also!!! ...
... Jam at The Hemporium
Newkulele is about participation, so get your jam on Saturday arvo (1-2pm) at The Hemporium with David Hethorn. David is well experienced in jam leadership from his home ukulele group of SPRUKE in Brisbane.
Whilst ukuleles will probably form the basis of this session, do bring along anything to tinker along with. Listening and sensitivity are the golden rules of jamming, whether strumming or blowing along!
See you there or on the other side of this amazing weekend!
