Bluehouse has earned a reputation for folk pop with grunt.

With nearly a 30 year international touring career behind them, these girls are also noted for their ‘harmonies from heaven’.

On Friday, September 15 they are returning to Palais-Hepburn with their original songs of love and loss ranging from tear jerking ballads to absolute foot stompers.

Their stories of life and becoming aging musicians are reputed to leave audiences in stitches.

Bluehouse is an Australian independent band with self-described folk-flavored pop melodies and intricate harmonies. Active since 1995, originally as a trio, then, from 2006 on, as a duo comprised of Bernadette Carroll (2) and Jacqui Walter, Bluehouse have shared the stage with Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, UB40, Elvis Costello, and Neil Finn (of Crowded House).

Combining virtuosic piano playing with a whiskey-smooth voice, Damon Smith and his trio are headed to The Palais, Hepburn.

The Trio has built a reputation for dynamic sets featuring foot-stomping boogie woogie, New Orleans-flavoured blues, rock ‘n’ roll, heartfelt ballads, and crowd-pleasing covers that meet with rave reviews and standing ovations at theatres, pubs, clubs, and festivals across Australia.

In 2022, Smith’s album Skeletons Skeletons Skeletons debuted at #2 on the Australian Blues and Roots charts, earning a Music Victoria award nomination, and winning the MBAS Chris Wilson award.

The Trio features: Damon Smith – Piano, vocals; Adam Coad – Drums; Trent McKenzie – Upright bass and they play The Palais, Hepburn on Saturday, September 2.

Hailing from small town Heathcote and a darling of the thriving Bendigo music scene, folk artist Mariah McCarthy is one of Central Victoria’s most talented musos.

With delicately woven songs rich in storytelling, Mariah captivates her audiences through honest and affecting tales that hang around in your head long after listening.

Mariah broaches themes of love, loss, betrayal and tragedy with authenticity, and often haunting melancholy but always a glimmer of precious hope.

Mariah will be joined by fellow singer/songwriters Ben Langdon (The Bean Project, Grand Baxter) and Cassie Ward (Cass) when Mariah McCarthy Trio plays The Palais, Hepburn on Friday September, 8.

The seamless blend of Mariah and Cassie’s voices is something that can only be created through years of singing together, which for them began early on in primary school. With the addition of Ben’s smooth vocals and intricate guitar work, the trio creates something very special.

Coming up Friday September 1 at The Palais, Hepburn, the music students of Daylesford College will be showcasing their musical skills and talents to friends, family and the local community.

A wide range of musical acts will be performed including Year 7 students to VCE/VET Music students.

Students will be performing a whole gamut of material including original tunes, Heavy Metal, Solo Piano, Latin Jazz, Rock and Blues. Playing at the Hepburn Palais is a real highlight for the Daylesford Music Program and gives students a real opportunity and insight into working in the Music Industry.

The showcase gets going from 5.30pm.

They’re a fairly fiesty and active lot out Clunes’ way … and they plan to stay that way.

The little goldfields town’s local neighbourhood house, the local Attitude – Ageing Well in Clunes group, and the Central Highlands Rural Health have formed a pioneering partnership aimed at ensuring locals’ more mature years are among the best they’ve ever had.

Backed by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network, they’ve recently launched their Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn project.

The initiative is shire-wide and aims to empower people entering the next stage of their lives in a healthy and fulfilling manner.

It aims to create a suite of programs that will enhance the lives of people aged 50 and over, or 45 years or older First Nations people in the community.

The strategies include developing a Clunes ‘healthy ageing hub’ prototype, and focusing on establishing information and connections in Daylesford, Trentham and Creswick. Link: www.ageingwithattitude.org

From Motown to “The Blues Brothers” and everything in between – MOTOR CITY SOUNDS pays tribute to the classic era of Soul music.

Packing dance floors wherever they play, MCS bring an energy that can only be created by a live 10-piece band and they’re headed to The Palais, Hepburn to do their funky thing next month.

Performing songs from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, The Supremes, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding, MOTOR CITY SOUNDS recreate the essence and atmosphere of Motown and Soul from the 60s and 70s, with authentic arrangements and instrumentation.

Performance credits include: Melbourne’s “Soul a Go-Go”, White Night (Melbourne & Ballarat), Memo Music Hall in St.Kilda, Backing “The Merindas” at Crown Casino, CluBarham, Ballarat’s Begonia Festival and warm-up band for ABC TV’s “Q & A”.

The line-up features top-class musicians from across Victoria, including an X-factor finalist, a former member of the John Butler Trio.

MOTOR CITY SOUNDS will be bringing their tribute to the greats of Soul music to The Palais-Hepburn on Saturday, August 19th.

A shelf full of albums by James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jason Isbell and Dawes has given Grand Baxter a distinct sound.

Considered songwriting, bitter-sweet lyrics and a sprinkling of country-folk influence are all clearly audible in his music. Songs dance between the dark, the delicate, and the cautiously optimistic, with beautiful acoustic guitars anddelicate melodies.

Grand Baxter delivers his heart on a silver plate, best described as ‘a bold hamper of honesty, musicality and folk charm.’

He’s set to play The Palais, Hepburn on Friday evening, August 11.

Steve Balbi has just announced a run of tour dates to promote his new track – We Were Lost – following the successful Noiseworks’ reformation and recent NZ Tour with 1980s new-wavers Mi-Sex. The Palais at Hepburn Springs is among them – on Saturday July 29.

Balbi’s new tour promises a reimagination of the creative chameleon’s diverse catalogue of songs ‘n’ stories – from Noiseworks, Electric Hippies, Mi-Sex, his recent solo LP ‘I Think I Know For Sure’, and more… in eclectic, three-piece [GRID] mode – featuring Balbi (Noiseworks, Electric Hippies, Mi-Sex) on vocals and guitars, Colin Coorie (Richard Clapton) on the synth, piano, organ and keys, and Pete Drummond [Dragon] playing a live-looping launchpad, BVs, cymbals & snares.

Transcending rock and pop while coalescing sentimentality and soul, Balbi bespeaks Bowie and Dylan in melody and verse, exploring the heterogeneity, refinement, and dirty rotten groove of Radiohead. Be enlightened. Be inspired.

The new track – We Were Lost – is out now on Triplespeak/Metropolitan Groove Merchants (MGM). A sensuous, impossibly romantic journey, this latest song by the artist, composer, and producer Steve Balbi casts new light upon the way, following the recent reformation of Noiseworks. It also forms part of a 5-track EP to emerge throughout the first half of 2023. Recorded and produced in his Sydney studio, Balbi plays all instruments on the track, with Pete Drummond on drums. Mixed in collaboration with Tony Wall, ‘We Were Lost’ was mastered by fellow electric hippy Justin Stanley.

From his Sydney studio, which he affectionately calls his happy place, Balbi reflects upon his latest release. ‘It started out as a totally different song,” he says. “I’d written the melody in an awkward key for me, so I changed the melody, I changed the lyrics, I changed the chords, and I kept throwing stuff at it, so it became a different song.

“What’s the song about? Well, it’s a metaphoric journey through childhood. Driving down a road, creating this masterpiece, being young and invincible. To be honest, I think we needed a miracle to make it through, and we did. But I found myself lost for many, many years.

“I guess that, in a nutshell, is what the song’s about. It’s not the happiest song you’ll ever hear but it’s sung through the lens of victory and survival. In this sense, I guess ultimately, it is a happy song. I wasn’t sure that I was going to release it, but I really feel something for this song, so I hope that you do too.”

Veteran road warrior Bret Mosley plays the Palais, Hepburn on Friday August 4.

Mosley is a singular artist who blends Americana, blues, and soulful folk into a uniquely potent sound that is introspective, raw, and emotional. Mosley’s stirring vocals, intricate lap slide guitar work, and stomping groove deliver deeply personal and poetic songwriting that explores the complexities of love, longing, and the human condition.

The raw intensity and emotional depth of Mosley’s live performances have a way of connecting with audiences that is at once intimate and transcendent, drawing listeners in with his authenticity and emotional resonance. His shows are known for being cathartic experiences, leaving audiences feeling both balmed and inspired. From intimate coffeehouses & clubs to concert halls & major festivals such as SXSW, Mountain Jam, and Blues at Bridgetown, Mosley has earned a reputation as a true original…and as a must-see act for fans of real, honest music that speaks to the heart.

Seven years in the making, Mosley’s new album, “Through the Fire”—out July 28— is a deeply moving journey chronicling his transformative first few years in Australia—from the depths of devastating abuse and alienation to finding true love. The album delivers a powerful message of resilience and triumph over adversity with a mix of tender ballads and rocking Americana.

Hepburn Palais and I Love it Live are getting set to present a special Double Shot of Blues event, featuring two of Melbourne’s leading blues acts coming up at the local venue on Friday July 7.

Kaliopi and The Blues Messengers officially launched at the Glenmaggie Blues & Roots Festival early in 2022, for a vibrant debut. Since then, the band have gone on to support and perform alongside local blues icons Geoff Achison, Ian Collard, and Jimi Hocking as the host band for Double Trouble Blues Sessions as well as regularly performing the blues circuit around Melbourne.

Drawing from the great Delta blues tradition of powerful blueswomen, Kaliopi & The Blues Messengers have developed a unique textural sound backing Kaliopi’s powerful, soulful vocal – using the fretless bass like a sousaphone, with flavours of early Dixieland piano, weaving clarinet blues licks and Delta Blues guitar over swinging groove shuffles.

Completing this special blues double bill is multi -award winning Matt Dwyer – a singer/ guitarist/ songwriter who takes all the elements of blues, jazz, swing, rockabilly , ska and surf music to make a unique style of good time house rockin’ party music that is entirely his own.

Joined by his regular band, The Magnatones, Matt never fails to deliver some fine roots music.

This double dose of quality blues music gets going at the Palais from 6.30pm, Friday July 7.

Whiskey a Go Go June 1966…. The Doors hit the stage with energy, and electricity bringing the room to a fever pitch. Jim Morrison announces the show … Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin…

Coming up Saturday, July 1 at The Palais, Hepburn, the Australian Doors Tribute is aiming to recreate this heat in their uncensored celebration of music and poetry of The Doors.

George Douglas is hauntingly Jim Morrison with his unique vocal style. Deep, mysterious, dangerous, and so precise and exact. His spellbinding performance is uncanny. The band’s authentic 1969 sound performance takes you there …into the Whiskey a Go Go to the fire of the Doors live.

Australian Doors Tribute – an impeccable line-up – made up of some of Melbourne’s best and well-loved musicians with a long history of performing around Australia. and internationally.

Thanks to the performances like the ones by Australian Doors Tribute, it is still possible to experience the thrill of Morrison and The Doors. Douglas and his fellow bandmates bring to life songs such as Riders on the Storm, Light my Fire, and Roadhouse Blues conjuring a portal for us to travel back in time and immerse ourselves in authentic renditions of these legendary songs.

DR SANDRA Staffieri has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine as an orthoptist and vision researcher, and to paediatric ophthalmology.
The part-time Hepburn resident is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Eye Research Australia and the Retinoblastoma Care coordinator/senior clinical orthoptist at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Her research is focused on hereditary eye diseases, including congenital glaucoma, congenital cataract, eye movement disorders and retinoblastoma.
Dr Staffieri’s PhD, with the aim of reducing delayed diagnosis of retinoblastoma (eye cancer in children), included the development and evaluation of an information pamphlet for new parents describing important early signs of eye problems in children.
Dr Staffieri said while her career had been “accidental” in many ways, she took her work very seriously and was privileged to be able to help families through journeys after days that were often their worst nightmare.
While she trained as an orthopist, gaining a diploma in 1984, she upgraded that to a Bachelor when it became available in 1992 and found herself working in paediatrics. “I actually wanted to be a paediatrician growing up so that was pretty lucky, and it was really just how my career unfolded. I am well known to have said I prefer working with children than adults.”
Dr Staffieri then found herself coordinating children with retinoblastoma in Victoria and Tasmania at the Royal Children’s Hospital – ensuring all screening appointments were kept along with tracking down any better available outcomes for the children and their families.
“We were giving families quite devastating news, that their child has cancer or is at risk of cancer, and that is quite harrowing and involves a lot of intervention for many years. Anyway, it was a conference in 2012 where it all took off and I realised that delayed diagnosis was really common even in a country like Australia.
“Children could be diagnosed earlier but parents sometimes did not know the signs that something was not right, and even health care professionals could be unaware. That is purely because the child is well and healthy and they keep doing what everyone else is doing – it is not like many other cancers.
“So it became my mission to try and improve things and the past 11 years I have had an incredible journey, doing a PhD in developing awareness for parents and trying to get that implemented on a large scale here and overseas.”
Dr Staffieri also went to Papua New Guinea earlier this year to implement more awareness strategies – a country where children still die from retinoblastoma.
Dr Staffieri is also kept busy doing genetic eye research at the University of Melbourne’s CERA and works on the characteristics of eye diseases, tracking down family members and getting DNA samples.
“If we can unravel the secret of why different eye diseases occur and why some people have greater vision loss than others, then we can look at different treatments, and better treatments.”
Dr Staffieri said working with children was challenging but not in the way many people would think. “It is just a different set of skills and there is nothing more rewarding than being able to talk around a really frightened child and being able to get all the information you need from them for the team to make a decision. That is quite rewarding.”
Retinoblastoma can run in families, which means many of the children seen 30 years ago are now coming with their own babies for screening, but for the most part there is no family history involved. But it remains the most survivable of paediatric cancers, offering very good long-term outcomes.
Dr Staffieri said her house in Hepburn was her “happy place” where she and her husband could retreat from their busy work lives and “catch our breath”. “It’s been a real godsend and we have been looking to move up to Hepburn for a long time now the kids have all flown the nest.”
The connection came years ago when her mother migrated at the age of 13 with her family after World War II. They ended up at the migrant camp at Bonegilla in Victoria and then her mother was sent to the Daylesford Convent as a boarder.
“Every year in autumn Mum would traipse us up to see the Presentation nuns and I loved the autumn colours. When we are here we watch the autumn evolve and then the leaves are gone and winter comes and then we see spring and the green fuzz of the leaves on the trees. We just love to be here, kick back and relax.”
Dr Staffieri said she had mixed feelings about her award because in some ways represented “someone else’s grief – but I also have the incredible privilege to be there for them and try and make it a little easier and then I watch their kids grow and that has been incredible. From that first day with the parents thinking the world has opened up and they have fallen through a crack, yet their children have got through all of that and grown up to be adults and do amazing things. It is overwhelming and pleasurable in equal measure. It is nice to be recognised, because it is not just a job, but I do what I hope someone would do for me if I was in their shoes.”
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Contributed

Mahilpreet Singh (pictured above) moved to Australia from India in 2020 – just in time for
Covid lockdowns.
The now 22-year-old lived in Craigieburn with his uncle and found work at
Australia Post as a parcel sorter while studying to enter the health sector. He made
the move to Ballarat to be closer to his university at Mt Helen – and hopefully some
face-to-face classes.
By this time he was qualified to be a personal care worker and “accidentally”
applied to Hepburn House, not realising it was a bit of a drive from Ballarat.
He got the job and now loves both his work and the drive from home and back.
“That first day, when I applied, I was driving through Dean and Newlyn and when I
passed those towns they actually reminded me of my farming village, Nanakpura, in
India. So it’s just a lovely scenic drive. And I love my work. I have now graduated as a
nurse and am loving being in aged care.”
Mahilpreet said Hepburn House took great care of its clients and staff and while
he had another choice of working in the field of mental health, the decision had been
made for him.
“I am absolutely loving it. It is a very nice facility and everyone is lovely. I used
to help older people when I was living in India which is why I wanted to become a
nurse. My first placement was in aged care and I just loved it from the start.”
Mahilpreet said he moved at 19 from India for more opportunities, living with
his uncle for some time which made the move a little easier, especially with Covid in
the background.
And while he loves nursing he has plans to eventually continue his studies.
“But at the moment I am very happy where I am, loving Hepburn House and my
drive, so I will just see how things go.”
Hepburn House is a progressive aged care centre offering a highly advanced,
fully personalised range of aged care services for its residents. Dedicated staff, like
Mahilpreet, work to create a comfortable, friendly and diverse community. Residents
are cared for while meeting individual lifestyle needs and managing practical issues
for everyone.
For more information head to hepburnhouse.com.au or call 5348 8100

with Darren Lowe

Palais-Hepburn, Hepburn
Saturday, April 1 – Ukulele Death Squad
The Ukulele Death Squad has grown bigger and better since its 2017 inception,
bringing a frenetic energy to the uke with their own flamenco, R&B and folk style.
Saturday, April 2 – Fanny Lumsden
ARIA Award, eight times Golden Guitar, AIR award winning Australian
artist Fanny Lumsden released her third studio album, Fallow, on Cooking Vinyl
Australia/Red Dirt Road Records, which took out Best Country Album at the 2020
ARIA Awards, and swept the field taking home five CMAA Golden Guitar Awards
including Album of the year, Female artist of the year, Single of the year Fierce, Video
clip of the year and Alt Country Album of the year.
Friday, April 7 – Reg Cole Quartet
The Reg Cole Quartet is an original jazz/soul/Latin outfit which formed in
the mid 90s while its members Zac, Sergio, George and Justin were all studying at
Melbourne University. They were regulars at venues like The Uptop, the Nightcat and
released a number of recordings. After a long hiatus the guys have recently re-formed
and are recording an album of new tunes which they’ll be performing alongside some
of their more popular pieces from the 90s.
Saturday, April 8 – The Rechords
A dynamic trio on stage, The Rechords demonstrate a passion for all things
Americana when it comes to the music they deliver, whether it be celebrating the
songs of artists who have influenced their journey or putting their all into the songs
they’ve created with the flavours of early country, rhythm & blues, rockabilly and alt
country.
Sunday, April 9, 2pm – CloudWine Music
CloudWine Music is an Australian acoustic duo consisting of Pri and Troy, two
musicians who have combined their talents to create a unique and soulful sound.
Their music is a blend of classics and modern hits, stripped back to their acoustic
roots and infused with their own unique style.

Odessa at Leavers Hotel, Creswick
Sunday, April 2 – Sunday Sesh – The Cartwheels (Dave & Wendy pictured)
Thursday, April 6 – Ernest Aines and Simon Phillips
Saturday, April 22 – Piano Wizard and owner birthday bash
Farmers Arms Hotel, Creswick
Sunday, April 2, 3pm – Lake Mist
Got a gig? Email news@tlnews.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY in the 21st Century is a remarkably easy medium to engage with. Every phone has a
camera and digital technology, including editing and digital filters which can generate results that satisfy most people.
With such conveniences available, it is easy to ignore the fact there is actually much, much
more than meets the eye if you truly want to understand the craft.
Margund Sallowsky is a master of the medium including the use of equipment and chemicals that defined the practice of photography before digital cameras took over around 25 years ago.
Her passion started when she took her first shots with her father’s Agfa camera at the age of 11. That was in her homeland of Germany and today, the long-time Hepburn resident continues to develop her knowledge.

“I strive to take my skills to the next level,” she says: A level of photographic acuity far beyond that of your
average camera phone user for sure.
“My professional development as a photographer commenced as an apprentice,” she says.

“After receiving my trade degrees, I enrolled in a diploma in visual communication course at
the University of Applied Science in Dortmund.
“Later I moved to Australia in the early 80s and purchased a small cottage in Hepburn in 1989. Meanwhile I worked as a photographer at Phillip Institute of Technology (now RMIT University) and later enrolled there in a post-graduate diploma in fine art photography, graduating in 1992.”
Over a career spanning four decades Margund has worked with many different
subjects, but coming from one of the most industrialised areas of Germany she cultivated a particularly strong interest in industrial installations, architecture and worker photography, documenting the lives of labourers in the steel foundries and factories of the Ruhr valley.
Today she continues to work in a diverse range of photography fields, from virtual
reality technology that allows the creation of virtual tours of exhibition spaces, to
documenting landscape and weather. This includes not only numerous works of the
local region but further afield.
“I am very interested in photography of the natural environment and in 2017 I
went to Iceland. We did a flight by helicopter for three and a half hours over southern
Iceland and I took a whole lot of aerial shots.”
And after moving to Hepburn permanently in 2020, Margund was able to
put the time into producing a body of work from this journey – showing six works
and winning a prize for best commercial work at the 2020 Salon at the Centre for
Contemporary Photography Melbourne.
“It is quite time consuming but I want to continue working on further exhibitions for the Iceland images including showing them locally.”
Like with most subjects, sometimes the easiest part is taking the pictures. And for
an experienced photographer such as Margund, the technical considerations are an
integral part of the production process and almost second nature.
What is harder to attain and what takes considerably more thought and
experience is the ability to give images the means to transcend time and place. That is
to say, shifting an image from one of mere record or documentation into something that is art.
“The construction of the photo is the first thing, the feel you get when you see
a scene,” she says. “The other thing is then in post production. You want to express
some sort of emotion, it has to be strong, it has to show something to trigger a
response in the viewer and you want that to come out of the image.”
However, while Margund has an extensive knowledge of effects, filters and post
production colour enhancement so easy to attain with digital tools like Photoshop,
she is cautious not to overuse them.
“You want to say something with the image but I don’t want to lie. I don’t want
to say that was a sky that brought down 50 tonnes of rain, I want to keep it more
in natural light but in a way that still speaks to people. Some people are all obsessed
with really screaming colour which is fine, I’m not criticising that approach but it is
not my style of dealing with a scene.”
Today, after working full-time for RMIT and now as a casual contractor for the
National Gallery of Victoria and a freelance photographer for Scienceworks and
Government House among many others, Margund is content to spend most of her
time in Hepburn.
“The quiet of Hepburn is really important for me, I don’t want to completely
give up my professional life but I want to retain that time to create more of my own
work.”
Words: Tony Sawrey | Images: Contributed