2006
MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
Jodie Weber – self managed
- I cannot express how much I got out of the workshop, I now know more than ever that this is definitely the road I want to travel!
Mick Daley – The Re-mains
- I’m so impressed with the warmth and efficiency of The Seed team and speakers
Katherine Beard – Extended Family / Kaya / The Maids
- a brilliant, well executed idea… feels like the next wave for independent music in Australia
Kate Mills – The Jacknives
- 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.
Megan Bowman – Self-managed
- 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 of.
Marion Gingell – Jessica Paige / Steve Romig
- fantastic facilitators and speakers!
Ebrima Marong – King Marong / Afro Mandinko
- thank you for the opportunity, fantastic workshop with very professional and open minded facilitators
Tracey Robertson (Bez) – Loren
- one of the best experiences of my life
Kimberley Merley – Pinkstik / Vertigonation
- a personal, professional workshop
Dane Hunnerup – The Scientists of Modern Music / Enola Fall
- I can’t imagine anything better!
Kristen Mahar – Sebasrockets
- thank you! I’d like to come back every year!
Cilla-Jane Leighton-Daly – self managed
- the panels were directed perfectly
Elizabeth Kilby – Kafka / The Dynamic Thrills / Kooii
- The Seed is an integral support program for music managers across Australia! You guys got soul!
Nasrine Rahmoni – San Lazaro
- what a beautiful week, I will be in debt forever!
Matt Irvin – self managed
- 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.
Alex Beck – The Harlequin Smile
- this workshop was an invaluable resource that I’d recommend to any emerging manager. Top stuff Seed Crew!
Ali Maclean – Birds Of Tokyo
- an inspiration to all bands aspiring to have a sustainable career!
Julian Abrahams – Casual Projects
- 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.
PROFESSIONAL & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
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.
LAZARE AGNESKIS
Paul helped me to refine the melodies and lyrics of my songs to make them more concise and fluent. We picked parts of the song that sounded good and could even be repeated, as well as cutting a the parts that weren’t that good or didn’t really suit the song. 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
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.
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.
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. 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. As well as the rhythmic knowledge I gained from studying with Bobby, the experience has reinvigorated my own inspiration about music and learning.
ALISHA BROOKS – ROMANY MUSIC STUDY IN TURKEY
My lessons took place between the 2nd August and 5th September 2006, in Istanbul, Turkey. 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. 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. I accomplished enough in my time with Aymet 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
SOCIAL ACTIVISM
MASTER PEACE WALL
15 youths aged 14 and 15 coming from 4 different cultures (Muslim, Lebanese, Macedonian and Greek) painted side by side in a group effort. The mural not only represents the various cultures within the St-George area but is the result of a multicultural group effort. 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. “We should write a big COMMUNICATE word a fill it with 35 different languages all saying hello. “ At the time 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
CLIMATE OF HOPECLIMATE 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. 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. 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.
Online at Engagemedia: www.engagemedia.org (high-res screening version also available at this site)
AGENTS OF CHANGE – ARABIC YOUTH FILM
We undertook an arts-based social change program with young Arabic-speaking men to develop their stories and capacities in context of the socio-political environment in which they find themselves. We targeted marginalised young men who and who wanted to make a difference in their worlds via arts and cultural expression. Part of the impetus for this project was to counter the media stereotypes of young Arab Australian men, and to create the space for alternative stories and images that were self-generated. We promoted the camp widely through our own community networks, and through Arabic and youth networks across Western Sydney to ensure that we accessed as many young men from Arabic-speaking background, particularly those who had never undertaken an arts-based leadership program, and those who felt particularly marginalised by the outside.
The JB Seed grant allowed us to set the ground for cultural development work with Arabic-speaking young men at a crucial time. This grant money provided us with the essential resources to organise the program, which included an intensive three-day camp and to contract experienced artists/mentors to facilitate a program of activities relevant to what our participants had identified as being relevant to their lives.
PUBLICITY & MARKETING
JESS & THE PAIGE BOYS
This was the biggest tour that I had been on and the first with my band. The stuff I value most is the knowledge I gained of 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, so musically we went over really well and we got quite a few new fans.
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.
TECOMA
“The initial aim of the project was to raise public awareness about the Home Brew Album and AIR to Me Single launches and the national tour that was in support of these releases. The work of the publicist Monique Lisa was phenomenal to this end and her securing Triple J support for the tour, a Home & Hosed performance on JTV, not to mention making several other things happen around the tour dates made a massive difference in terms of getting word out about the tour. In contrast to many of the harder lessons learnt from the last little while, having Monique Lisa on board facilitated by The JB Seed drove home the difference working with passionate and experienced professionals can make. Her hard work, professionalism, honest advice, objectivity and insight into many aspects of the tour/records goings on was so helpful, I really hope I can continue to work with her in the future, if she’s not too sought after by other artists.”
ILLZILLA
In May and June this year the Melbourne based hiphop outfit ‘Illzilla’ conducted a successful eight week tour of the Australian east coast, promoting two singles from the groups’s debut album ‘Wasteland’ and exposing new audience to the groups’ dynamic live set. This tour included live performances in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, Coolum and the Gold Coast, and culminated with the Melbourne launch of the brilliant film clip for ‘Cut Feet’ – the group’s second single. With the generous help of the JB Seed Fund, Illzilla was able to thoroughly promote the tour, including substantial advertising in print media across the country. This was also supplemented by strong media interest (including numerous positive album reviews in the press), poster runs in all states, and some additional print and online promotions conducted variously by Beat Broker, Elefant Traks, Shock Records and the Grassroots Street Orchestra.
INDIGENOUS TOURING
YOWARLINY EAST COAST TOUR
SEPTEMBER 2006
DJIVA’s tour 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. “We traveled from Perth to Port Hedland and back performing 10 shows and conducting 2 community workshops. Aside from a few hurdles the tour was a great success, we received a good deal of publicity and audience responses was mostly very positive. Looking back we really enjoyed the tour and can see that it was hugely beneficial to the release our new album”.