Thursday 29 November 2012

Gemstones theme 28/11/2012

Wednesday 28/11/12 was our gemstones theme on a Mixed Bag, and our special guest for the evening was local Bega Valley resident, Doug Batty, who is addicted to cutting and polishing opals!
It's not just a hobby for Doug anymore! He is "bitten, and smitten".
Doug was kind enough to join us live in the studio to talk about his addiction, and he is certainly extremely knowledgeable about the subject of gemstones!!
Here is a link to part of the interview with Doug.
  
.....and here is a photo of some of his gorgeous stones.
The playlist for our gemstones theme was:-
  • Ruby (don't take your guns to town) - Kenny Rogers
  • Ruby Tuesday - The Rolling Stones
  • Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell
  • Rubystone - David Ross MacDonald
  • Constant in Opal - The Church
  • She's a Diamond - Opal
  • Diamonds on the inside - Ben Harper
  • Lucy in the sky with Diamonds - The Beatles
  • Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch - The Sapphires
  • Diamonds are a girl's best friend - Marilyn Monroe
  • Some days are diamonds (some days are stones) - John Denver 
Next Wednesday night, 5/12/12, our theme will be caring, so I'm looking for songs with the word "care", or "caring" in the title.  If you have any ideas, please feel free to leave a comment!  Thanks.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

The 27s - Wednesday 21/11/2012

I had a great time presenting "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" last Wednesday night (21/11/2012) on
93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, because we explored the theme of the 27s, and played songs from musicians who passed away at the age of 27; Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse just to name a few!

Eric Segalstad and Josh Hunter have written and illustrated a wonderful book called, "The 27s: the greatest myth of rock and roll" and I had a chat with Eric Segalstad (he in the USA, and me in Bega) about the information he had discovered in his research, about the layout of the book, and about Josh Hunter's illustrations.  I have ordered a copy of the book through my local book shop and I can't wait for it to arrive!

Here is a link to the 27s website, and a link to the interview.

27s website: www.the27s.com

Link to last Wednesday night's interview: http://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-eric-2

As usual it was a mixed bag of music.  The playlist for last Wednesday night was:-
  1. Love in Vain (Tod Rungren performing a Robert Johnson song)
  2. Roadhouse Blues (The Doors)
  3. Let it Bleed (Rolling Stones)
  4. Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix)
  5. And the wind cried Mary (Jimi Hendrix)
  6. On the Road Again (Canned Heat)
  7. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
  8. Little Man with a Gun in his hand (The Minute Men)
  9. Anchor (The Minute Men)
  10. TV Eye (The Stooges)
  11. Smells like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
  12. Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)
  13. Piece of my Heart (Janis Joplin)
  14. Goin' up the country (Canned Heat)
  15. Janis Joplin  (Mercedes Benz)
This Wednesday night 28/11/2012 on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, our theme will be GEMSTONES, so you will here songs with the word ruby, diamond, opal etc in the title and I'll be speaking with local resident Doug Batty.  He will be talking to us live in the studio about his hobby, which is cutting opals.  So, if you live in the Bega Valley, tune into 93.7 Edge FM from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.

Sunday 18 November 2012

Stay tuned for "The 27 Club" on a Mixed Bag next Wednesday night 21/11/12

This week on a Mixed Bag, our theme will be "The 27 Club".  You will hear some great music from musicians who passed away at the age of 27, e.g Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin and others.  If you live in the Bega Valley, you can tune into 93.7 Edge FM next Wednesday night from 8.00pm to learn about "The 27 Club".

I'm trying to organise an interview with Eric Segalstad, the author of "The 27s: The greatest myth of Rock & Roll".  It's always a bit tricky trying to line up an interview with someone who doesn't live in Australia, so we'll see how we go!

My husband, Tony, our daughter, and I, just had a very relaxing and pleasant weekend at Depot Beach, a beautiful part of the world, and not too far from the Bega Valley (except when you drive through Canberra to get there!!).  Depot Beach is in the Murramarang National Park.  http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkCamping.aspx?id=N0025

We stayed in accommodation within walking distance to the beach and we enjoyed sitting out on the deck of our rented cottage, watching the kangaroos graze on the grass. Some kangaroos even had little joeys in their pouches!
As you can see from the photos below, Depot Beach is a little piece of paradise.


Friday 16 November 2012

Last night, on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, we had a Streets theme, which included an interview with Father Chris Riley from Youth off the Streets.  Here is the link to the interview:

http://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-father-chris

and here is a photo of Father Chris.  See below for last night's play list.

Songs played for our "Streets" theme included:-
  1. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
  2. Where the streets have no name - U2
  3. 59th Bridge Street song (Feelin' Groovy) - Simon & Garfunkel
  4. Dancin' in the streets - David Bowie & Mick Jagger
  5. Accidentally Kelly Street - Frente
  6. Walking down your street - The Bangles
  7. Taking it to the Streets - Doobie Brothers
  8. Street fighting man - The Rolling Stones
  9. The Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen
  10. Streets of London - Ralph McTell
  11. Dry your eyes - The Streets
  12. Down City Streets - Archie Roach
  13. Cardigan Street from the musical Jonah - Nancye Hayes, Valerie Bader & Jodie Gillies
  14. Dark end of the street - Aretha Franklin
  15. On the streets of your town - The Go Betweens

Next week on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, our theme will be the 27 club and you will hear songs by some great musicians who died at the age of 27!  So tune in on Wednesday 21/11/2012 for some great tunes from Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, The Doors and much more.


Father Chris Riley's Youth Off The Streets website is http://www.youthoffthestreets.com.au/
Kids Helpline telephone contact number is 1800 551 800  and their website is http://www.kidshelp.com.au/nand
the email for headspace is info@headspace.org.au and the website is http://www.headspace.org.au/headspace-centres

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Stay tuned for an Interview with Father Chris Riley from "Youth off the streets" to be aired on Wednesday night


This Wednesday night 14/11/2012 on "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega valley, you will hear an interview with Father Chris Riley from Youth off the streets.  Father Chris has been working tirelessly with "at risk" youth for many, many years, so it will be interesting to hear where he gets his energy from and about the great work he's been doing with Youth Off The Streets in Sydney, country towns, and overseas.  If you can't listen to the show live, I will be posting the interview on this blog a little later in the week.

Our theme for Wednesday night will be "Streets", so we'll hear songs with the word "Street", or "Streets" in the title, and maybe even a song or two from the band called "The Streets".  It's always a mixed bag of music so you never know what you'll get.

Last Saturday I had a great night out at the Candelo Town Hall with a couple of friends, sharing the experience with a very attentive audience.  Local musicians Jackson Lumb (consisting of Steve Jackson and Chris Lumb) opened with a set of original material, Robyn Martin followed, singing beautifully, and accompanying herself on guitar with more originals, and the main act for the evening was David Ross McDonald (drummer from the Waifs who has now settled in Candelo).  David sang and played his vintage Gibson guitar and was accompanied by locals Heath Cullen (making some eerie guitar sounds) and double bassist and emcee for the evening Sam Martin.  David Ross McDonald had the audience singing responses to his calls when required, and after our first attempt at singing back the lyrics "Paper Crane", being a little bit shaky, by the end of the song we were more experienced at "call and response" and David assured us we were "in the band". A sumptuous supper was provided by the local tennis club and a good time was had by all.  It's great to see original music is flourishing in the Bega Valley!

Thursday 8 November 2012

JPY ("Squeak") Wednesday 07/11/2012

Last night, on A Mixed Bag with Chris B, our theme was JPY ("Squeak").  This year John Paul Young has been celebrating 40 years in the Australian music industry.  He has also been with his wife for 40 years!

If you were a huge fan of the television show "Countdown", I'm sure you will remember John Paul Young singing "Yesterday's Hero", all dressed up in his cute little sailor suit being dragged down into the audience by screaming teenage girls.

Along with Kev Carmody, The Dingoes, Little Pattie and Mental As Anything, JPY was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in the year 2009.  This year, he received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his service to the performing arts as a singer and songwriter, and through support for a range of charitable organisations.

In the 1980s, when JPY's pop stardom had faded somewhat, John Paul Young spent some time working as a DJ.  Things changed when the movie Strictly Ballroom was released in 1992, and the song "Love is in the air", originally a worlwide hit in 1978, became a hit all over again, becoming JPY's signature tune.

Harry Vanda and George Young from the Easybeats penned many of John Paul Young's hit songs.

Here is the link to a telephone interview with John Paul Young.  He was kind enough to have a chat with us the morning after a JPY gig in Mackay in Queensland:-

http://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-john-paul-young

Next week on "A Mixed Bag with Chris B", our theme will be "Streets".  The playlist will include songs with the word street, or streets in the title, e.g "Streets of London", "Where the streets have no name", "Dancing in the streets", etc, etc..

Last night's John Paul Young's song playlist included:-

  1. Pasadena
  2. Driving me crazy
  3. Yesterdays hero (from the vinyl record "Explosive Hits '75)
  4. St Louis
  5. Heaven sent
  6. Rainbow (by Elm Tree - JPY's first band)
  7. Out of Time (Chris Farlowe - it's been said that JPY sounds a bit like this singer)
  8. Where the action is
  9. Isn't it sunshine
  10. I hate the music
  11. I wanna do it with you
  12. Keep on smilin'
  13. Standing in the rain (from the CD "Long way to the top")
  14. Are you gonna go my way? (JPY on Andrew Denton's musical challenge 2, singing a Lenny Kravitz song)
  15. Yesterday's hero (cover by the Bay City Rollers)
  16. Love is in the air

Saturday 3 November 2012

Interview with John Paul Young next Wednesday night

Hi there

I'm very excited to say that I will be interviewing John Paul Young for my community radio show, "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM, next Wednesday night, 7 November 2012.  The theme, of course, will be JPY ("Squeak"), so if you live in the Bega Valley, tune in between 8pm and 9.30pm.

Today I went to the Eden Whale Festival with my husband Tony.  We couldn't get to all the activities but the town was buzzing with people, and it was great to see all the local produce on display at Snug Cove.  I had a look through the record and CD stall, and found an album, "Explosive Hits '75" for $2!
I do love a scratchy old vinyl record.

While we were at Snug Cove, the Sapphire Concert Band and then, the Eden Aboriginal Dance Group entertained the crowd.  At the local Marine Rescue unit which has a grand view of Twofold Bay, a group of happy onlookers were lucky enough to see a whale. Admittedly, it was quite a long way out, but everyone there was happy to have seen at least one whale during the festival (you can't have a whale festival without whales!!).

After a healthy lunch at a local deli, we had a look at the Eden Killer Whale Museum theatrette where there was a wonderful display of photos and videos and stories created with local communities from Eden, Bega, Merimbula, Tathra and Bermagui through ABC Open.  Check out the link and you can view one of the stories: https://open.abc.net.au/posts/skies-over-the-valley-19sp3qy.

The festival continues tomorrow.  Here is the link to the Eden Whale Festival 2012 program: http://www.edenwhalefestival.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=2

And don't forget you can catch the play "Bombshells" tomorrow (Sunday 4 November) at 3.00pm.  It's at the Thimble Theatre in the grounds of the Bega High School.  For details and bookings ring
6492 2619. Prices are $20 and $15 concession. Check out the website: http://theatreonset.com.au/

It's all happening in the Bega Valley!

Thursday 1 November 2012

Blonde Bombshells - Wednesday 31/10/2012

Hi there,

My name is Chris B, and every Wednesday evening between 8.00pm and 9.30pm on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, I present a community radio program called "A Mixed Bag.  A different theme is explored each week, and there is often an interview with a theme related guest, either live in the studio, or by telephone.

 Last night our theme was Blonde Bombshells, and Alex Nicol from Theatre Onset in the Bega Valley was kind enough to join me in the studio to talk about their latest production, "Bombshells", which is currently playing at the Thimble Theatre in the grounds of Bega High School. 

You can catch "Bombshells" tonight (Thursday 1st November), tomorrow night (Friday 2nd November) and Saturday night (3rd November) at 8.00pm. On Sunday (4th November) you can catch an afternoon show at 3.00pm.  For details and bookings ring 6492 2619.
Prices are $20 and $15 concession. Check out the website: http://theatreonset.com.au/

The playlist for our Blonde Bombshells theme last night was as follows:-
1. Blondie's "Picture This."
2. Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend."
3. Elton John's "Candle In The Wind." (written in honour of Marilyn Monroe)
4. Dolly Parton's "Joelene."
5. Celine Dion's "I Drove All Night."
6. Kim Wilde's "Kids In America" and "Love Blonde."
7. Blondie's "Heart Of Glass."
8. Dusty Springfield's "Son Of A Preacher Man."
9. The Eurythmics' "Would I Lie To You?"
10. Kim Carnes' "Betty Davis Eyes."
11. Adele's "Someone Like You."
12. Cindy Lauper's "Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun."
13. Marilyn Munroe's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" (special request for Alex Nicol, who didn't hear the beginning of the show).

Next week, on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, our theme will be JPY ("Squeak").  You will hear a telephone interview with John Paul Young, and lots of JPY's great songs!