Club Acoustica - Reviews

For the last three years Club Acoustica has been running at La Bar. Three years – it doesn’t seem that long. In that time the club has progressed steadily – more and more people have joined up (these days the mailing list is about two thousand strong). But it’s not just the list of supporters that is growing, the CA net is being cast wider and wider. There are not a few different acoustic nights spread through the city and they’re all affiliated with Club Acoustica. The past year has seen the Club expand to The Basement and this Wednesday 13th marks that year birthday.

For founder Martin Contempree this is not just a love affair with a burgeoning movement. “This is my passion,” Martin declares, “to create this opportunity for these people. Out of the four hundred artists one or two of them will become very, very big. And it’ll be nice to have that happen for our association. There’d be about two thousand people that we let know about what is happening once a month at La Bar and The Basement. The Basement shows are sort of the cream of the crop. You have to play La Bar or the Tuesday Night Club which Joseph Calderazzo runs – they’re sort of the breeding grounds. Between us we have the banner of the Sydney Acoustic Movement. We feel we’re putting on the best at The Basement.”

At Club Acoustica they’re serious about their acoustic presentation, there are no amplifiers – bar maybe one for the bass – and percussionists are encouraged to keep it stripped right back. This is, according to Martin, to “Create more of an atmosphere. To keep the focus on the songs. We’re finding more and more that when people come to these nights, they understand that the idea is to get close to the music. It’s not a loud pub where it’s being blasted – it’s more about getting to know the artists.”

The movement seems to have gathered a couple of stalwarts. “Well I suppose so,” Martin agrees, “in essence there are becoming more and more. Everybody gets the same treatment when they come to us – they’re mixed in the same way in the same room. We, Michael Hardwick and myself, always intended to build a community. We like to associate with people who are self-promoting in the end I guess. You could say that we’re making friends with a number of artists and it seems that a number of the ones that we’re making friends with are taking that step and releasing stuff as well. We are helping in the process in a number of ways but they are also cross-pollinating in a sense. Gavin Hammond has produced Dominique Fraissard’s album – they don’t all cross over but some do. But we aren’t at all trying to be hierarchical.”

This year’s birthday showcase will be celebrated in true Acoustica style. The line-up, starting at eight o’clock, will be Lior, Paul Greene (one time Australian Commonwealth Games two hundred metres athlete – what a tag), then there’s Jay Smith, the perennial Jeff Duff and Matt Tonks, a Blue Mountains artist, will finish the night. The bigger room at The Basement has afforded the Movement some gauge of how they are progressing. Suddenly you’re in front of a larger room in a venue with quite a high profile. For the showcase nights Club Acoustica try to use at least one profile artist. One name. A Jenny Morris or a Louis Tillet. Bernie Hayes, Stella One Eleven, Ghostwriters and Steve Balbi are also amongst those who, “Are used as a prompt,” Martin explains, “so that we create a bit of interest and people come in and see the younger artists as well.”

And it’s working – the numbers are up. “Three years ago we first started advertising in Revolver,” Martin says. “At that stage I can guarantee you that there was not another ad for an acoustic night anywhere. Now you’ve got Peanut Butter Jam, the Excelsior in Glebe, the acoustic lounge in Balmain, the Tuesday Night Club. It works for everybody. It’s a more refined night. These days I get e-mails from all over Australia, even from Canada and England, looking for an acoustic room to play in Sydney.”

Among those to take advantage was recent visitor Nigel Kennedy. This I’m guessing really helps put the room on the map. “Yeah,” Martin agrees, “that really helped, that was fantastic. It created a bit of a profile. It goes back to that whole English and American tradition where you know, Jim Morrison would turn up to the Whisky /au go-go or Bleaker street and play a small venue.”

Club Acoustica celebrates its third birthday at The Basement on Wednesday 13th July with Lior, Paul Greene, Jay Smith, Jeff Duff and Matt Tonks. It’s back to La Bar on Thursday with Luke O’Shea, Simon Bruce, Keith Urban, Catfish, Yellow Monday and Chantelle.