Universal Grooves on the Surf Coast_29th May, 2010

At 7.30pm on Sat 29th May, Bellbrae Hall will transform your normal musical format into the ‘Universal Grooves’ interactive experience. 

Local musical outfit ‘Moonah’, with special guest, 'CC Thornley, a singer, songwriter and incredible banjo player, will be the next instalment of this successful event, following other global acts at ‘Universal Grooves’ earlier this year.

This intimate setting opens up opportunities for the band to perform their songs and explain the finer details of their instruments and song writing process as well as encourage the audience into the facilitated ‘jam sessions’. You can bring along your own instruments to join in or just relax and listen. Jacqui Dreessens from Wild Moves will introduce the djembe rhythms for you to follow and of course there will be some dancing, perhaps a Bush Turkey Boogie. Bring your guitars and didj.

Like the gnarled ‘Moonah’ trees which crown the local cliff tops, the music of the band Moonah has a bent and twisted appeal, shaped by the forces of nature and beauty of their coastal homeland. 

Mark Trinham, Jan Juc environmental artist and lead instrumentalist for Moonah describes the band’s songwriting as an instinctive and intuitive process; none of the core members have been formally trained in music, nor feel constrained to any particular style or genre.  “We have always enjoyed creating moods and evoking soundscapes with our music- we like the freedom to experiment and just play music that moves us- it’s more of a journey than a song”.

Moonah, is predominantly a four piece instrumental band with guest artists adding extra flavour. The band harnesses a range of instruments to fill out and broaden their song visions. These can include tin whistle, banjo, didgeridoo, keyboards, violin, guitars, drums, bass and even a flugelhorn!

“Harnessing the energies of Victoria's surf coast, Moonah tap right into a very interesting hybrid of folk, progressive, psychedelic and surf rock. The use of didgeridoo grounds the music in a way that conjures up connection to the stretch of country between Geelong and Lorne and the soaring guitar and violin sent me right out there. Irish/Spanish/Andes leaning folkies give way to indigenous/surf instrumentals and there's always a surprise when you least expect it” Anthony Amis – ‘Chain Reaction’.