Working theme

Last week on a mixed bag our theme was working.  We didn't have an interview this time, but songs included were "Working for the Man, Working Class Hero, Working Class Man, Working in a Coal Mine, Welcome to the Working Week, and quite a few more "working" songs.
A Mixed Bag with Chris B will take a break for a couple of weeks now that the festive season is here.
However you choose to celebrate, have a happy and healthy festive season and all the best for the New Year.
The show will resume on Tuesday 7th January 2014 at 6.00 pm, so if you live in the Bega Valley, you can tune in to 93.7 Edge FM.  Thanks for checking out the blog this year.

Surfing

Last night on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, our theme was surfing.  We heard songs by the Beach Boys, the Atlantics, the Surfaris, and lots of songs from the soundtrack to Morning of the Earth and music from Tim Gaze and Peter Howe.  All these songs brought back memories of family surfing trips along the North Coast of New South Wales to places like Seal Rocks, Angourie, Crescent Head, Point Plumber and Byron Bay.

To listen to our interview with local musician, Peter Howe, who told us how he was involved in making some music for the Morning of the Earth soundtrack, please click on the link below.
Next week, our theme for A Mixed Bag will be "working", so if you live in the Bega Valley, tune in between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm next Tuesday evening on 93.7 Edge FM.

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-peter-howe-11/s-XnR7d

Motorbikes and Toys

Tonight on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, we talked about motorbikes and played songs about toys.  Why, you may well ask?
This Saturday, 7th December, the Sapphire Coast branch of the Ulysses Club will be holding a Toy Run, starting in Bemboka, and finishing up in Littleton Gardens in Bega.
The funds raised, and the toys collected along the way will be distributed to families in need throughout the Bega Valley Shire community.  All proceeds will be donated to Vinnies and distributed evenly to families in need across the three centres (Bega, Merimbula and Eden).
To find out more about the upcoming Toy Run, click on the link below and you can hear an interview with James Murray, editor of the Ulysses Club newsletter, "All Torque".  Rumour has it that Santa may be making an appearance, and I am trying to pluck up the courage to jump on one of the motorbikes as a pillion passenger!  Only problem is I don't have a leather jacket, or a pair of riding boots!!
If you would like more information or if you would like to make a donation prior to the day of the Toy Run, please contact George Parker on 6493 2578 or mobile telephone number 0409 464 836.

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-james-murray

B-Calm is another local motorbike riding group in the Bega Valley.  B-Calm, that is, Bega Casual Alliance of Lady Motorcyclists meets every 3rd Sunday of every month at 10.00 am @ Candelo Town Hall.  The club is for women only, and the ride starts at 10.30 am.  L & P plate riders are welcome.  For more information, contact Frances on 0438 450 810.

Our theme next week will be "Surfing".  Tune into 93.7 Edge FM Tuesday night between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm if you live in the Bega Valley.

The end of Australian music month

Tonight on A Mixed Bag with Chris B we had an all Australian music show with lots of AC/DC.  To break up that onslaught of loud rock, we heard a few songs by local musicians like Kim Churchill, The Blue Ruins and a song by The Swamp Stomper's called Yin and Yang.  It was recorded live in the 93.7 Edge FM studio.  To listen you can click on the link below.
https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/yin-and-yang-by-the-swamp/s-f0Y0Y
We also heard a track from Kate Ceberano and Deborah Conway, an instrumental from Midnight Oil, and my favourite Jebediah song, Harpoon.  Not sure what our theme on  A Mixed Bag with Chris B will be next week.  Will keep you posted.

The Swamp Stompers

Tonight on a Mixed Bag we were very lucky to have been joined by The Swamp Stompers and it was great to hear them play live in the studio.  Three very talented young musicians make up the Stomp Swampers - Corey Legge, Mitch Broadhead and newest recruit to the band, Luke Ligtenberg.  All three members have been studying music at Southern Cross University in Lismore and playing their dirty slide guitar blues with heavy grooves up and down the coast.

I recorded a song called Yin and Yang live in the studio.  I'll put it up on the blog soon, so stay tuned.

November is Australian Music Month. Corey Legge and the Swamp Stompers on next Tuesday night!

Last night on "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, our theme was Australian music because November is Australian Music Month.
There are so many genres of Australian music that it was hard to know what to play.  We heard "The Wild One" from the Wild One himself, Johnny O'Keefe, John English with his medley of live songs from the Concert of the Decade in 1979, a song from hip-hop outfit Hilltop Hoods, and that Radio Birdman anthem with a punch to the air and a yeah-heh-hup, New Race, with a whole lot of other Aussie favourites in between.
Next Tuesday night Corey Legge and some or all of his band The Swamp Stompers will join us live in the studio for some dirty slide blues guitar with heavy grooves.  I'll keep you posted as to which members of the band will be joining us for the show.  Corey Legge (looking rather pensive) is pictured below.
Tune into 93.7 Edge FM next Tuesday night between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm if you live in the Bega Valley.

Concert of the Decade

Presenting a theme that was loosely based on the 1979 Concert of the Decade at the Opera House forecourt was lots of fun this evening.  Although I didn't attend that particular concert, I really wish I had have!!
Tonight's "A Mix Bag with Chris B" featured lots of Aussie music, the three standouts came from the recording of the Concert of the Decade.  They were Stevie Wright singing Evie (the performance of his lifetime), Colleen Hewitt singing Day by Day / Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord (what an amazing voice) and John English with his powerful medley of his hits.  During the rest of the show we heard from Aussie artists who played at that concert like Dragon, Cheetah, Sherbert, Blackfeather (Neale Johns sang at the concert), Hush, The Ted Mulray Gang, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, Max Merrit, Jim Keays from the Master's Apprentices and many more.
Although it was not part of the theme I felt it appropriate to play a Lou Reed song tonight.  Perfect Day seemed appropiate because that Concert of the Decade on the 4th November 1979 was, from all accounts, a perfect day.
Debbie Kruger has a wonderful website detailing the day and with some great photos and links.  Check it out by clicking on the link below.

http://www.debbiekruger.com/broadcaster/2sm/concdec.html

Next week, our theme will be Lou Reed.  That's Tuesday night, between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm, so if you live in the Bega Valley, tune into 93.7 Edge FM!

Harmony

Last night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM, our theme was harmony.  We heard music by The Mamas and the Papas, Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Beach Boys, The Hollies, Zoot and the tight vocal harmonies of The Little River Band.
To hear our interview with Beeb Birtles, click on the link below:-

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-beeb-birtles-on

Next Tuesday night, our theme will be loosely based on Rocktober, the concert of the decade, so lots of Aussie music for that theme!  I think that concert was held in early November of 1979 actually, but it's the one where Stevie Wright gave the performance of his life with his greatest rendition of Evie.
So, if you live in the Bega Valley, tune in to 93.7 Edge FM between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm for some great Australian rock.

Leo Sayer theme on 93.7 Edge FM

Tonight on "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM, I spent two hours with Leo Sayer, well, with his music anyway, not literally.  Like many people I love the music of Leo Sayer.  I was lucky enough to be able to interview David Courtney who was responsible for discovering Leo Sayer.  I recorded the interview in Bega (Australia) while speaking to David, who is in England, by phone.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the links below.  On the show, I played the interview in two parts so that I could play "The Show Must Go On" from Leo Sayer's "Silverbird" album in between.

Hope you enjoy it.

Here is PART ONE of the interview:-
http://snd.sc/1bucnc4

Here is PART TWO of the interview:-
http://snd.sc/1712Ag0

Leo Sayer theme tomorrow night

Tune into "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM tomorrow night between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm if you live in the Bega Valley for our Leo Sayer theme.  There are so many wonderful songs for you to enjoy.

Feelin' Good, feelin' alright, feelin' happy

Last night on "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley our theme was "Feelin' Good, feelin' alright, feelin' happy" with lots of song with those sentiments.  Songs like I feel good - James Brown, Feelin' alright - Traffic, End of the line - The Travellin' Wilburys, Good times - Easybeats,
You make me so very happy - Blood, Sweat and Tears and quite a few more.

I spoke with Sally Howard, Brand Manager from Look Good, Feel Better and you can listen to the interview below:-

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-sally-harold-to/s-KpsV0

For more info go to the Look Good, Feel Better website which is www.lgfb.org.au

Rod Stewart

Tonight on A Mixed Bag with Chris B, our theme was Rod Stewart.  It was impossible to play all of his wonderful songs, but we managed to squeeze quite a few in.  The big hits like "Mandolin Wind", "Maggie May", "Do You Think I'm Sexy", "You're in my Heart", "Forever Young" and "Tonight's the Night".  The list goes on and on really.
We also heard a few songs from Rod's latest album "Time", the beautiful ballad "Brighton Beach" and the song about divorce called "It's Over".  Other tracks included "Gasoline Alley" and "Every Picture Tells A Story" both co-written with Ronnie Wood (of Rolling Stones fame as well as Rod's band mate from the Jeff Beck Band and The Faces) We also heard a couple of songs co-written with Martin Quittenton, "Farewell" and "You Wear It Well" plus a few oldies - one from the band "The Steam packet" called "Can I Get A Witness", one from The Faces called "Stay with Me" and a very rocky one from "The Jeff Beck Band" called "I Ain't Superstitious".
Next week our theme will be "Feelin' Good, Feelin' Alright, Feelin' Happy", so if you live in the Bega Valley tune into 93.7 Edge FM between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm Tuesday night.

Imagination

Tonight on  A Mixed Bag with Chris B our theme was imagination and we heard four tracks off Tim Finn's album "Imaginary Kingdom", as well as the song "Imaginary Kingdom" which is actually off "The Conversation" album!.
Songs with the word imagine, imagination or imaginary included "Imaginary Lover" by Atlanta Rhythm Section, "Just My Imagination" by the Cranberries, "I've Got To Use My Imagination" by Gladys Knight and the Pips", "Imaginary Girl" by Hunters and Collectors, and  "About My Imagination" by Jackson Browne.  Elvis Costello says that "Imagination Is Such A Powerful Deceiver" , and as dreamers are people who live in their own fantasy world, we played Cliff Richard's "Dreaming" after the Elvis Costello tune.
A country music triple-play including "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer" by Kenny Rodgers and Kim Cairnes, "Imagine That" by Don Williams and "Imagine Me" by the fabulous Patsy Cline.  Three different versions of John Lennon's "Imagine" were played this evening, the original of course, then Eva Cassidy's beautiful rendition and then the one from Herbie Hancock's "Imagine Project".
There will be no Mixed Bag with Chris B next week on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley.

Johnny Cash theme

Tonight on a Mixed Bag with Chris B, we heard the wonderful songs of Johnny Cash, the man in black.

I'm looking forward to the Johnny Cash tribute show coming up on the long weekend at Wolumla Hall on Sunday 6 October.

Four terrific local musicians will pay tribute to the late, great Johnny Cash and perform 22 of Johnny's well known songs.  Ricky Bloomfield, Garry Carson Jones, Steve Clark and John Fraser have all been part of the local music scene in the Bega Valley for many years.  On Saturday, 93.7 Edge FM held it's biennial Radiothon out at the Old Bega Hospital and we were lucky enough to have Ricky Bloomfield and Garry Carson Jones sing live on air to preview a couple of songs from the upcoming Johnny Cash tribute show (see photo below).

I found it difficult to chose songs for tonight's program because Johnny Cash has such a large catalogue of work, and I'm sure I missed out on a few favourites.  Of course, A Boy Named Sue, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring Of Fire, and Jackson were all played, as well as some early tunes like Cry! Cry! Cry! and Hey Porter.

I particularly enjoyed Johnny Cash's cover of the Nine Inch Nails song Hurt, and we finished with the song Highway Man by The Highwaymen.

It was great to have a chat with Ricky Bloomfield about the upcoming show, and to find out what he has been doing with his life.  The fact is, he's been doing a lot!!

Here is a link to the interview with Ricky:-

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/ricky-bloomfield-and-johnny/s-Cjs1s

Here is a photo of Ricky Bloomfield and Garry Carson Jones playing at the 93.7 Edge FM Radiothon fundraiser.

Next Tuesday night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B our theme will be imagination.

Joni Mitchell and Neil Young theme

If you are a female musician you were probably inspired by the music of Joni Mitchell, and if you play guitar, you probably have a whole repertoire of Neil Young songs!
Joni Mitchell has been my favourite musician ever since I discovered my brother's cassette of Joni's album "Hejira" in a tape player at home.  I pressed play and from then on was hooked on the music of Joni Mitchell.  She has a song for every mood that you feel, and her lyrics are woven together through the melody in a very original way.  Remember the movie with Hugh Grant called "Love Actually" where the character played by Emma Thompson says, "Joni Mitchell is the woman who taught your cold English wife how to feel".

Neil Young is also an incredible lyricist and musician.  I think we all had the album, "Harvest" at some stage. Life hasn't been that easy for Neil Young.  He has suffered an aneurysm, he has fathered two children with a rare condition and has lost friends to drug addiction.

Is it really necessary to suffer for your art?  In the case of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, their suffering has certainly brought about some deep-felt emotion through their song writing.  "Little Green" by Joni Mitchell (a personal song about giving her child up for adoption) comes to mind and "The Needle & The Damage Done" by Neil Young is about losing friends to heroine addiction.
I loved playing the music of these two fabulous artists tonight on A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM.  The only problem was I couldn't fit all their songs into the two hours, but here is the playlist:-

Urge for Going - Joni Mitchell
You Turn Me On (I'm a Radio) - Joni Mitchell
The Needle and The Damage Done - Neil Young
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
Out on the Weekend - Neil Young
A Man Needs a Maid - Neil Young
Cool Water - Joni Mitchell & Willy Nelson
Beat of Black Wings - Joni Mitchell
All I Want - Joni Mitchell
My Old Man - Joni Mitchell
A Man Needs a Maid - Neil Young
The Magdalene Laundries - Joni Mitchells song but a cover by Emmylou Harris
Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell
Hey, Hey, My, My (Out of the Blue and Into the Black)  - Neil Young's rocky version of that one
Circle Game - Joni Mitchell
Clouds - Joni Mitchell
Coyote - Joni Mitchell

Next week on A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM our theme will be Johnny Cash.  If you live in the Bega Valley, tune in between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm on Tuesday night.

Songs with the word BLUE in the title Tuesday 27/08/2013

Last night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B we heard songs with the word "Blue" in the title, of which there are many.  I sorted through my CD collection, and came up with the following titles below.  I was avoiding playing songs with the word "Blues" in the title, but did sneak a few in, especially if it was a song by a local artist.  We heard a few tracks from The Blue Ruins (local legends) Kate and Alan Watts - Fire Up from their album Tin Pot Alley & Flat Battery Blues & I've Got The Blues from their first album called The Blue Ruins.  Check out their Facebook page (you might be able to help them make their next album!)

 https://www.facebook.com/theblueruins

The Bermagui Blue Balls Swimming Club who were planning a nude swim for fathers day have cancelled the event, so there was no theme related interview on A Mixed Bag with Chris B last night.  Next Tuesday night our theme for the evening will be Joni Mitchell & Neil Young.  So, if you live in the Bega Valley on the Far South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, tune into 93.7 Edge FM.

Blue theme playlist:-

• Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt
• Blue Shoes by Katie Melua
• Blue Sky Blue (acoustic version) by Pete Murray
• Out in the Blue by Jimmy Barnes
• Blue Jean by David Bowie
• How Blue Can You Get by Fleetwood Mac
• Feelin' Blue by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Mr Blue Sky by The Electric Light Orchestra
• Prussian Blue by Richard Clapton
• Baby Blue by Jimmy Little
• Blue Eyes by Elton John
• Deakin Blues by Steely Dan
• California Blue by Roy Orbison
• Losing My Blues Tonight by Cameron Cusack (local legend)
• Blue and Green by Van Morrison
• Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills & Nash
• Mr Blue by Pat Boone
• Oprah Winfrey Blues by Barb Crowden (local legend) from the album High Heels in the Woodheap (a rare collection of 16 songs from female songwriters of South Eastern Australia)
• Moody Blue & Blue Suede Shoes by the late, great, one and only Elvis Presley

Emmylou Harris last week, and Blue songs next week

Next Tuesday night between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley our theme will be songs with the word "Blue" in the title, so if you can think of any let me know.

Last week we chilled out with Emmylou Harris, a popular theme with some of our listeners.

Local Musos and Sarah Campbell live in the Edge FM studio in the Bega Valley

I must confess I am very behind with this blog.  At 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, we will soon have an updated website, and I've been helping out with the project.

Last month on a Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM, our theme was Aussie songs, and it was great to play mostly Aussie songs from the 1980s (my favourite musical era!).
The following week on a Mixed Bag, our theme was local musos and we had a very special guest - Sarah Campbell,  a very talented, young singer songwriter from the Bega Valley and she and her mum were kind enough to venture out on a cold winter's evening to visit the station.  Sarah talked about her musical experiences, and played three original songs. (Below is a photo of Sarah at the station, the interview, and one of her original songs".  Please excuse the odd knocking of the microphone and squeaky chair sounds!). Other songs from CDs featured on the night were from Daniel Champagne, Pete Wild, Heath Cullen, a locally produced album called High Heels in the Woodheap featuring original songs by local female artists and much more.

Other themes covered on A Mixed Bag were David Bowie, Johnny O'Keefe, including an interview with JOK's original drummer, Catfish Purser(see link below Sarah's photo).  Last night our theme was "Balls" where we heard songs with the word "ball" or "balls" in the title and interviewed Mike Chapman from Blue September and talked about testicular cancer - a bit cheeky I know, but it's an important men's health issue (see link below to go to Blue September website, and to listen to interview with Mike, scroll down further into the blog).
http://www.blueseptember.org.au/

SARAH CAMPBELL - interview on 93.7 Edge FM and original song "Something New"https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-sarah-campbell

SARAH CAMPBELL singing "Something New"
https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/sarah-campbell-singing/s-EBq66

SARAH CAMPBELL ON THE EDGE (FM)

"CATFISH" INTERVIEW

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-john-catfish

"MICHAEL from BLUE SEPTEMBER discusses Testicular Cancer

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-michael-from/s-IAc28

Rodriguez

This Tuesday night on a Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, we will be exploring the theme of Rodriguez.  I recently watched the DVD, "Searching for Sugarman", and really enjoyed the film.
I used to listen to our copy of Rodriguez's second album, Coming from Reality (on cassette actually), which I personally prefer to his album "Cold Fact", but that is probably because I am more familiar with the songs on that album.
On Tuesday we will hear songs from both albums, and we will probably throw in a few protest or political songs by other artists (perhaps Midnight Oil, John Butler, and Bob Dylan for starters).
So, if you live in the Bega Valley, tune in between 6.00pm and 8.00pm on 93.7 Edge FM.

Deborah's theme, Deborah Conway and Deborah Harry 12/06/2013

Last night on "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley our theme was "Deborah's", mainly focusing on two of my favourite Deborah's - Deborah Harry and Deborah Conway.  On Mother's day earlier this year, I was lucky enough to attend Deborah Conway & Willy Ziggier live at Candelo Town Hall playing songs from their new album "Stories of Ghosts".  It was a fabulous night of music with a very enthusiastic Candelo crowd.  Deborah Conway and Willy Ziggier were both in excellent voice and Willy Ziggier played an array of instruments, displaying his versatility and amazing talent!  I can absolutely recommend this live show if you get the chance to check it out!

It was great to spin a few tunes on a Mixed Bag from the new album "Stories of Ghosts", and from my favourite older albums, "String of Pearls" and "Bitch Epic" mixed in with quite a few songs from the band "Blondie" with Deborah Harry on vocals.
I was lucky enough to be able to have a quick chat by phone with Deborah Conway while she was waiting to board a plane at Sydney Airport.  Here is the link to the interview (sometimes the sound quality isn't that great, so apologies for that):-

LINK TO DEBORAH CONWAY INTERVIEW:-

http://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/deborah-conway-interview-93-7

Am trying to decide what next week's theme should be.  Have just watched the documentary, "Searching for Sugarman about Rodriguez, so thought a Rodriguez theme could be good at some point.  I am also tossing up the idea of "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll", but can't decide at the moment.  Will keep you posted!

Merimbula Jazz Festival this Queen's Birthday Long Weekend 2013

Last Tuesday night on a Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, our theme was jazz, and we heard jazz standards from great female singers like Billie Holiday, music from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Dudley Moore and many other great jazz tunes.  We also heard music from local musician Paul Dion, and Melbourne musician Pippa Wilson, a regular performer at the Merimbula Jazz Festival every year.
I'm looking forward to going to the Merimbula Jazz Festival this year.  Here is a link to my interview with Bob Stevens from the Merimbula Jazz Festival committee, talking about what will be happening at the festival and about the great work of the volunteers.

http://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/bob-stevens-2013-interview-re

I can highly recommend the Merimbula Jazz Festival, whether you are 8 years old or you are 80 years old - there is something for everyone.

Next Tuesday night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B, our theme will be Deborahs, so we will be hearing music from Deborah Conway, Deborah Harry with Blondie, and any other Deborah's I can think of!

So, if you live in the Bega Valley, tune in on Tuesday night between 6.00pm and 8.00pm on 93.7 Edge FM.

A Mixed Bag with Chris B is back on the air with some jazz

After a very nice break and a lovely trip to Chile, Tahiti and Easter Island, A Mixed Bag with Chris B has returned to the airwaves, but I have been a little behind with keeping the blog up to date!
The last two shows have had two different themes, the first one was Special, and we played songs with the word "Special" in the title.
Last week I had a great time presenting the music of Joe Cocker, playing an original version of a Joe Cocker cover first, and then playing the Joe Cocker cover.  Originals played were "Feelin' Alright" by Traffic, "The Letter" by the Box Tops, "Unchain my Heart" by Ray Charles, "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful, "You are so Beautiful" sung by Billy Preston and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window by the Beatles, just to name a few.  After each original we heard the Joe Cocker version, always completely different to the original song.  I love the way Joe Cocker puts his heart and soul into his music, and has his very special way of moving to the music!
This Tuesday night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM, we are going to hear some jazz because the 33rd Merimbula Jazz Festival will be here very soon - on the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend in fact!  I'm really looking forward to going to Merimbula and checking out the bands.  Bob Stevens from the Merimbula Jazz Festival Committee will be telling us all about this year's festival and what to expect.
Here's a link to the website:
http://www.merimbulajazz.org.au/

So, if you live in the Bega Valley, tune into 93.7 Edge FM, next Tuesday evening between 6.00pm and 8.00pm.

Songs they used to play on Countdown

I had a lot of fun last night presenting the music I used to hear on Countdown.  I used to love sitting in the lounge room with mum and dad, and sometimes with my two brothers as well, watching the show every Sunday evening at 6.00pm.
Favourite acts for me were John Paul Young, Sherbet (I used to scream out for Garth at their live concerts), and of course, Hush.
Last night on a Mixed Bag we heard songs that brought back memories like Sherbet with Silvery Moon, Hush with Boney Maroney, Rene Geyer with Stares and Whispers,  Fox with SSSSingle Bed and Joe Dulce singing Shaddap Ya Face.  I had so many songs to choose from and it was very, very difficult to decide what should be included in the playlist.

My friend Ian Battersby, who lives locally, worked as a Sound Mixer on Countdown in the very early days of the show, and I asked him to share some of his memories with us.  Here is a link to the interview, and a fantastic photo of Ian in Studio 31, where all the sound action took place in 1974. (Please leave a comment if you have any interesting memories of watching Countdown with your family).

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-ian-battersby

A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley will be taking a break for about a month.  The show will be back on air on Tuesday 14/05/2013.  The station has recently received a grant to update our website thanks to the Community Broadcasting Foundation, and we are hoping to be able to include some live streaming of some of the programs we have on offer at 93.7 Edge FM.  I will keep you posted!

Stevie Wright, Easy Beats and Vanda and Young

I've had a lot of fun presenting "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" over the last two weeks.  I love the music of the Easybeats and Stevie Wright so I thought it would be great to do a Stevie Wright and The Easybeats theme.

Last Tuesday night our theme on a Mixed Bag was just that, and I was even lucky enough to have been able to have a chat with Stevie Wright by phone.  I found Stevie extremely warm and friendly, and he had some great stories to tell.  He's had a hard life, which has been very well documented, so I decided to concentrate more on the great music that Stevie Wright and The Easybeats had provided for us over the years.

Here is a link to the interview I did with Stevie Wright.  My thanks to Scott McRae, who is touring his "rockumentary" called Stevie:The Life and Music of Stevie Wright and the Easybeats.  The Stevie Wright interview was aired on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley on 19 March 2013.

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-stevie-wright

Here is a link to information about Scott McRae's "Live Rockumentary"

STEVIE: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF STEVIE WRIGHT AND THE EASYBEATS

http://www.stevieshow.com.au/

Track List for last week's show:-
For my woman, Say that you're mine, She's so fine, The old oak tree (all Easybeats songs), Step back (Johnny Young); Women, Come and see her, Coke ad to the tune of Come and see her) (Easybeats); Love machine by Rodge Martin; Friday on my mind (Easybeats plus the David Bowie cover); songs from the EasyFever EP; Simon Zealotes from Jesus Christ Superstar (Stevie Wright and Trevor White); River deep, mountain high (Easybeats), Spend the night (Cheetah) and of course, the classic Evie, parts 1,2 and 3 sung by Stevie Wright.
On tonight's show we explored the music of Harry Vanda and George Young, so we played music that was either written by Vanda and Young, or produced by Vanda and Young, including Easybeats and Stevie Wright songs, music from AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, John Paul Young, and Flash and the Pan.
Love the Easybeats so it was lots of fun!
Next week on a Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, the theme will be "the kind of music they used to play on Countdown".

Melancholy Ladies

Tonight on a Mixed Bag on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, our theme was "Melancholy Ladies".  We started off with some Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield, a song from Duffy from The Boat that Rocked soundtrack, some Emmylou Harris, and of course, the queen of melancholy tunes, Linda Rondstadt.

Kris Kristofferson accidentally got thrown into the mix, when the wrong cd was played, but Janis Joplin's version of Me and Bobby McGee came to the rescue!!  No men allowed on tonight's "Melancholy Ladies" theme!

We heard from Nicolette Larson, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks); and a singer I haven't heard a lot of (but definitely fitted nicely into our theme tonight).  Her name is Lainie Kazan, and she seems like a mixture of Cleo Laine, Eartha Kitt and Shirley Bassey all rolled into one melancholy lady!!

We finished with a couple of songs from Adele.  Adele does a lovely cover of Bob Dylan's song, "Make You Feel My Love" - we played that song from her album 19, and finished the show with her big hit from her 21 album, "Someone Like You".

If you've had enough of the melancholy stuff, and you'd prefer something a bit more rock, tune into 93.7 Edge FM next Tuesday night between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm and we'll explore the music of the Easybeats & Stevie Wright (I had a chat with Stevie Wright by telephone recently, so you will here our conversation as part of the show).  Really hope you can tune in if you live in the Bega Valley.  93.7 Edge FM!

International Women's Day - "woman" theme

Tonight on a Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM our theme was "women" or "woman" because International Women's Day is coming up on 8/3/2013.  Tonight we talked about some inspirational women and played songs with the word woman in the title including Helen Reddy's "I am Woman", The Guess Who and their song "American Woman", Billy Joel's "Always a Woman", the fabulous Etta James and "Woman", Bob Dylan's "Just like a Woman", the Rolling Stones with "Honky Tonk Woman" just to name a few.
Hope you have a great IWD on March 8th!

Relay for Life in the Bega Valley

I had a lovely time tonight presenting A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley.

Our theme was "LIFE" so we heard lots of songs with the word life in the title.  Here is the playlist for this evening:-

Life (Desree), Life for Rent (Dido), You are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder), Live your Life be Free (Belinda Carlisle), Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads), Breath of Live (Florence and the Machine), Back in the High Life Again (Stevie Windwood), Delta Goodrem (In my Life), It's my Life (Talk Talk), David Bowie (Life on Mars), Life (Sherbert), Simple Life (Cameron Cusack), I had the time of my Life from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, and Walk of Life (Dire Straits).

Greg Whitby, committee chair from Bega Valley Relay for Life was kind enough to talk to us by phone.  To hear the interview, click on the link below:-
http://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/greg-whitby-from-bega-valley

This afternoon I dropped into the Cancer Council office Bega to pick up a couple of information pamphlets for tonight's show.  It's wonderful to have a Cancer Council in Bega - they do great work providing valuable information to people who are dealing with Cancer.

The Bega Cancer Council details are as follows:-

Bega Community Centre
(PO Box 772, Bega 2550)
Shop 8 Auckland Plaza
Bega   NSW 2550
Ph (02) 6492 1805
If you want to register for Relay for Life, the website is www.relayforlife.org.au or you can call
1300 65 65 85.  The actual event takes place on Saturday 6th April at 9.30am, and on Sunday the 7th April, 2013 at the Pambula Sports Complex.

Why is the Relay for Life happening?  To Celebrate cancer survivors, to Remember loved ones we have lost and to Fight Back! against the disease with education, information and support.

Check out the website:-

www.relayforlife.org.au

Next week on a Mixed Bag with Chris B in the Bega Valley our theme will be "WOMEN".  If you live in the Bega Valley hope you can tune in between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm.

Cats theme, and Relay for Life

It was great to move back to Tuesday nights with A Mixed Bag with Chris B.  Last Tuesday night our theme was "cats".  We heard music from Cat Stevens, The Stray Cats, The Cat Empire and even country singer Kitty Wells.  We also heard songs with the word "cat" in the title - Al Stewart's "The Year of the Cat", The Stray Cats with their "Stray Cat Strut", David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out the Fire with Gasoline)", Tom Jones and "What's New Pussycat?" and one I hadn't heard for a while, "Cool for Cats" by Squeeze.
Greg Whitby from Spectrum Theatre Group in Merimbula filled us in on how Spectrum fared after their five nominations for the Canberra Area Theatre awards (the CAT awards).
Here is the link to the interview:-

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-greg-whitby

Congratulations to Spectrum for their CAT award nominations (all for Spectrum's production of "Travelling North"):-

1. Best Costume Designer for a Play: Robyn Whitby
2. Technical Achievement: Bruce Waddell and Greg Whitby for Design and Construction of the revolving stage.
3. Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: John Fraser
4. Best Director of a Play: Bill Deveril
5. Best Production of a Play: Spectrum Theatre Group of Merimbula 

Winners were announced at the Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards Gala Evening on 16th February 2013.  Unfortunately Spectrum were not on the winners list this year.

Here is a link from CityNews.com.au about the 2013 winners
http://citynews.com.au/2013/romko-wins-top-cat-award/

Next Tuesday night between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm, our theme on A Mixed Bag will be "Life" and once again I will be speaking with Greg Whitby who will be wearing one of his many other hats, this time as Committee Chair for Relay for Life.
If you live in the Bega Valley hope you can join me then on 93.7 Edge FM!

"A Mixed Bag with Chris B" moving to Tuesday nights

This week "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley moves to Tuesdays from 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm and our first theme for the new time will be "cats".

We'll hear some Cat Stevens, The Cat Empire, The Stray Cats, Kitty Wells, and songs with the word cat in the title.

Had a lovely time on the weekend visiting the Bega Show.  I always enjoy looking at the giant pumpkins, although I think there was only one this year, an 80 kilogram cattle pumpkin.  Locals entered home made jams, cakes and home brewed beer; beautifully crafted quilts, decorative displays of flowers and  wood crafted pens, boxes for nick nacks and lots of other local products. The oyster judging and the wood chop competition were also fun to watch.

Last week on a Mixed Bag we heard from author Annette Stephens who has written "The Good Little Girl", available through Big Sky Publishing. She spoke with us about her experience of freeing herself from what she describes as a cult.

Here is a link to last week's interview.

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-annette

On Tuesday we'll hear from Greg Whitby from Spectrum Theatre.  He will be telling us how Spectrum Theatre fared at the Canberra Area Theatre awards (also known as the CAT awards).
Spectrum received five well-deserved nominations for technical achievement, best actor in a leading role, best director, best production, and best costume designer, all for last year's production of Travelling North.

Can't wait to hear about the results!

Freedom

Tonight, Wednesday 13th February, 2013, our theme on A Mixed Bag was "Freedom", and we explored our five fundamental freedoms in Australia including freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of movement.
Songs we heard this evening were:-

• I'm Free from the Rolling Stones album "Shine a Light"
• Free Nelson Mandela
• I'm Free by the Who (from the Rock Musical "Tommy")
• Free the People by the Rascals,
• Free Me by Uriah Heap
• Freedom by Pete Murray
• I'm Free by Christine Anu
• Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John
• The Waifs Give Me Some
• and of course.... Devo's Freedom of Choice, and Queen's I Wanna Break Free
• We finished up with Chimes of Freedom by The Byrds

We had two short interviews tonight, one with Annette Stephens who has written a book called "The Good Little Girl" which is available through Big Sky Publishing and she spoke about her experience of freeing herself from what she describes as a cult. http://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/The-Good-Little-Girl/980/productview.aspx

We also had a chat with Mary Barker from Bega Valley Sanctuary about a photographic art exhibition coming up at the Spiral Gallery in Bega called Faces of Asylum http://spiralgallery.org.au/2012/12/12/the-faces-of-asylum/

The two interviews will be uploaded to the website in the next day or two.
Next week "A Mixed Bag with Chris B" will move to Tuesday nights from 6pm-8pm, so if you live in the Bega Valley really hope you can listen in.

A little bit behind

Hi there

Sometimes life just gets very busy, and we don't seem to be able to catch up on the things we want to do.  After a busy couple of weeks, I'm a little behind with my blog at the moment, but hope to catch up soon.

For now, here's a short interview with Chris Taylor, Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for Southern NSW and ACT.  He he talks about how seniors are soon to benefit from a major digital literacy program to become more tech savvy!  Our theme on Wednesday night was ""Methods of Communication".

Stay tuned for more details, and also for more details about the previous week's show, "Travelling with a twist", where I had a chat with my visually impaired friend, Nastasia, and how she manages to get around new cities and "see" the sights!!

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-chris-taylor-re

Next week, our theme on a Mixed Bag with Chris B will be "Freedom".

Covers theme last night, travelling with a twist next week

Last night (Wednesday 23/01/2013) on a mixed bag we played cover songs, including a version of Band of Horse's "No-one's gonna love you" by opera singer Renee Fleming from her album of "Indie" songs called Dark Hope; Rufus Wainwright's version of the Beatles "Across the Universe"; and Jimi Hendrix and his cover of The Leaves song, "Hey Joe".
We also heard local musician Daniel Champagne's cover version of Don McLean's "Vincent" from his Real Live album.
I'm not sure if it counts as a cover song, but we did hear a different version of "You're so vain" by Carly Simon from her album Never Been Gone.  Eva Cassidy (may she rest in peace) has covered just about everyone's tunes.  One of my favourites is her version of Sting's "Fields of Gold".
Blondie's cover of The Nerve's "Hangin' on the Telephone", Jeff Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Todd Rundgren's take on Robert Johnson's Crossroad Blues were also given a spin.
We played a couple of Cold Chisel covers including The Waif's version of Four Walls, and Sarah Blasko's fabulous cover of Flame Trees.
Next week our theme is "Travelling with a twist!!"

Have just been to the Circus at Candelo

(Today is Thursday.  I started to write this post last weekend, but got a little side-tracked.  Life just gets busy sometimes).

I had wonderful time tonight at Candelo Town Hall in the Bega Valley.  The "Almost Exactly Circus" Circus Cabaret was SO much fun.
The performers were incredibly skillful with their range of tricks (juggling, hula-hooping, clowning, balancing acts etc), and the Candelo crowd happily engaged with the performers when they were plucked out of the audience, and pulled up onto the stage!  I feel I had a very lucky escape as I was sitting in the front row, feeling very relieved that I wasn't targeted!

Local magician, Rhys Davies the Trickster was the support act for the evening.  He put on a very impressive magic show, and joined the circus troupe for their juggling finale.  I'm looking forward to seeing more magic shows from Rhys in the near future.

If you get the chance to see "Almost Exactly Circus", I can highly recommend their act.

Here is a link to their facebook page:-

https://www.facebook.com/AlmostExactlyCircus

and a link to Rhys Davies the Trickster's facebook page:-

https://www.facebook.com/RhysDaviesTheTrickster

The Circus

On Wednesday night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, our theme was the circus, and we heard from Jamie Bretman from "Almost Exactly Circus" about their upcoming visit to the Bega Valley this weekend.

Some of the songs included in our playlist on Wednesday night were a selection of songs from Cold Chisel's Circus Animals album, The Cleo Laine version of Send in the clowns, Tears of a clown (Smokey Robinson), Cathy's clown (The Everly Brothers), Pavarotti singing " Vesti la guiba" from the opera Pagliacci, Bring on the dancing horses by Echo and the Bunnymen, and Hey Pachuco by the Royal Crown Revue from the movie The Mask; and Wild Billy's Circus Story from Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle album.

The first presentation of "Minimum Stay" by Almost Exactly Circus kicks off at Club Sapphire in Merimbula on Friday 18th January.  Doors open at 4.00 pm for the first show, and for the second show the doors will open at 8.00pm.

Here is a link to some information about "Almost Exactly Circus".

http://istart.org/startup-idea/services/almost-exactly-circus/8756

The troupe will also be holding a circus workshop in Candelo on Saturday 19th January 2013 from 10.00am Saturday, and a circus cabaret in the evening at 7.30pm.  So, if you love amazing acrobatics and would like to see a high energy show, make sure you check out at least one of these performances.

Should be fun!!

Listen to the interview with Jamie Bretman by clicking on the link below:-

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-jamie-bretman

Corey Legge

If you read 2 posts back on this blog, you will see I wasn't able to upload my interview with Corey Legge (from Corey Legge and the Swamp Stompers) due to some technical issues.  I had to revert to an old fashioned tape recorder, which was fine until the actual cassette became jammed in the player!!
A good friend of mine was able to rescue the cassette, and I'm now able to upload the interview.

Here's a link to my chat with Corey Legge, live in the Edge FM studio on Wednesday 2 January 2013.

https://soundcloud.com/chris-b2/interview-with-corey-legge-on


Some of the gigs Corey speaks of in the interview have been and gone, but keep an eye on the Swamp Stomper's Facebook page to keep track of what's coming up for this great band.

https://en-gb.facebook.com/theswampstompers/info

And, to check out their music, have a look 2 posts back on this blog for the links and photos.

Hope you're managing to stay cool if you live in the Bega Valley.

Family

Last night, Wednesday 9 January 2013, our theme on A Mixed Bag with Chris B (on 93.7 Edge FM), was "family".  We heard tracks from various musical family groups, including local band of brothers, The O'Donnell Brothers and father and daughter duo, Kate and Alan Watts who make up The Blue Ruins, as well as The Partridge Family, The Pointer Sisters, and The Doobie Brothers (although they're not really brothers).

We also heard songs with a family member in the title or in the song, such as "Son of a preacher man" (Dusty Springfield), Tucker's daughter (Ian Moss), "Crazy Mamma", and "(Daddy you're a) fool to cry" by the Rolling Stones.

We started the show with a classic disco number by Sister Sledge, "We are family", and finished with the theme from The Partridge Family.  Other tracks played were "Ode to my family" by the Cranberries, "Wonderwall" by Oasis, and a couple of songs by Paul Simon ("Mother and child reunion, and "Father and daughter").

On Tuesday, in the Bega Valley, we saw the temperature soar (in Bega) from 15.8°C in the morning, rising rapidly to a very hot 41°C by 11.30am!!  Our friends in Brogo were threatened by bushfire, many having to pack their bags ready to evacuate, as they watched firefighters battle the blaze in hot windy conditions. Other parts of New South Wales had the highest level of fire rating, "catastrophic", and authorities were expecting the day to be the worst fire conditions in the history of New South Wales. The Bega Valley Shire Library closed it's doors for the day, due to the heat.  Temperatures cooled down considerably yesterday, but we have to be prepared for more hot weather to come.

Please stay safe, and stay cool.

Last Wednesday night, 2nd January, 2013, local Bega Valley musician Corey Legge joined us in the Edge FM studio for a chat.  It was great to find out what he's been up to musically over the last 12 months.  He's been studying hard at Southern Cross University in Lismore, and making music his main priority in life.  At only 20 years old, he's climbing the first steps of the "long way to the top (if you wanna rock 'n' roll)."

Corey has been busy with his new band Corey Legge and the Swamp Stompers, (made up of Corey Legge on electric guitar, lapsteel, lead vocals and bass; and Mitch Broadhead on drums, percussion and backing vocals). Below is a photo of Corey and Mitch playing their dirty slide guitar and heavy grooves live at the Dromedary Hotel in Central Tilba recently.

We heard some fantastic tracks from the EP on a Mixed Bag with Chris B.  The album title is simply, "The EP".  Corey wasn't feeling great on Wednesday night, so wasn't able to play live, but it was cool that he made the effort to join us in the studio for a chat.

Here's a link to some of the tunes from the album (all original songs).  There's also a link to Corey Legge & the Swamp Stompers, playing at the National Campus Band Competition SCU Final at the Lismore Uni Bar in September 2012.

www.soundcloud.com/theswampstompers

www.youtube.com/swampstompersmusic

I had a little bit of trouble with technology last week, and ended up recording our chat on a cassette tape recorder (remember those?).  I can usually upload my recordings from cassette onto my computer, but at the moment the cassette itself is stuck inside the machine!  If I can work out how to get it out, I will upload my chat with Corey to the blog.  Hopefully, I will have my usual more modern methods of recording working again next week!

In the meantime, enjoy some of Corey's fabulous music, and you can go into the Triple J Unearthed link below, and rate and review the songs to help this band get airplay.

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=60880

Next Wednesday night on A Mixed Bag with Chris B on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley, our theme will be "Family/Families".  So, if you live in the Bega Valley, tune in between 8.00pm and 9.30pm next Wednesday night.

Corey Legge on a Mixed Bag tonight!

Tune into 93.7 Edge FM tonight between 8.00pm and 9.30pm for a Mixed Bag if you live in the Bega Valley. Tonight the music of local musician Corey Legge will be featured. He plays dirty slide guitar blues and heavy grooves. Corey is coming in to the studio live for a chat.
Find out about his latest EP and the album launch for Corey Legge and the Swamp Stompers!