$1 MILLION FUNDING BOOST FOR VICTORIAN ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS
Minister for the Arts Lynne Kosky today announced almost $1 million in grants for Victorian artists and musicians as part of the Brumby Government’s commitment to supporting the state’s vibrant arts and music scene. At The Famous Spiegeltent, Ms Kosky said $380,000 had been awarded to Victorian musicians as part of the first round of the Government’s new Victoria Rocks program.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Minister for the Arts Lynne Kosky today announced almost $1 million in grants for Victorian artists and musicians as part of the Brumby Government’s commitment to supporting the state’s vibrant arts and music scene.
At The Famous Spiegeltent, Ms Kosky said $380,000 had been awarded to Victorian musicians as part of the first round of the Government’s new Victoria Rocks program.
“We are committed to helping to supporting musicians and artists across the state grow and develop their careers – from those just starting out to mid career artists and established names,” Ms Kosky said.
“I’m thrilled to announce the first round of this new program which was established to strengthen the creativity and viability of the local music sector.
“The quality of applications was impressive, reflecting a local independent music industry going through an exciting growth phase.”
The Victoria Rocks projects cover a wide range of music genres including Rock, Jazz, Bluegrass, Sound Art, World Music and Hip Hop from both soloists and bands.
Thirty-nine projects were funded across three categories: Music Career Building Grants ( covering recording, CD manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, publicity, website and digital initiatives ); Touring Grants ( supporting regional, interstate and international tours ); and Strategic Music Industry Partnerships for organisations that will strengthen and develop the Victorian music scene.
Victoria Rocks highlights include: · Solo recording projects by both The Fauves front-man Andy Cox and highly respected guitarist and composer Charlie Owen. · International tours by The Drones, Midnight Juggernauts, Black Arm Band, The Go Set, The Wellingtons, Megan Bowman, Jeff Lang, Made for Chickens by Robots and My Friend the Chocolate Cake. · Regional tour by Warrnambool-based singer-songwriter Andy Alberts and his band the Walkabouts. · National tours by Dan Sultan, San Lazaro and Rosie Burgess · CD release projects for Jazz group Shannon Goodrich Ensemble, hip hop act Low Budget and emerging artists the Josh Owen Band, Plastic Palace Alice and Mountains in the Sky.
Strategic Music Industry Partnerships supported include: · VROOM Victoria – a searchable Live Music Venue database which will assist musicians to build tours and develop new audiences by providing detailed venue information and establishing touring networks in regional Victoria. · Australian Performing Rights Association’s ( APRA ) Sydney Song Summit Scholarship has been established to give ten Victorian songwriters, including five indigenous artists, the chance to attend the national Song Summit in Sydney in April 2008. · The Australian Music Collective will stage the Aussie BBQ at South By South West ( SxSW ) music conference in Austin Texas, along with a series of Australia music showcase events across the United States and in London.
Ms Kosky also announced $615,000 in grants to 46 artists and small arts organisations through Arts Victoria’s Arts Development program.
“Arts Development supports the creation and presentation of new work by individual artists and small arts companies – the creative engine of the arts in Victoria,” she said.
“With new works from both established and emerging artists, ranging from theatre, music and dance to exhibitions, installations and literature, the funded projects are a great indicator of the strength and diversity of the arts in Victoria.”
Arts Development highlights include: · Development of Hidden Republic, by singer-songwriter Lou Bennett, with Joe Geia, Kutcha Edwards, Dave Arden, Peter Rotumah, Aaron Choulai and Shane Howard, a collaborative work for performance by the Black Arm Band and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. · Rawcus Theatre Company’s development of the Heart of Another Dark Forest, a performance work in collaboration with Adelaide’s Restless Dance. · Presentation of Interspacing, a collaborative exhibition by three Gippsland artists and three Melbourne artists, curated by Claire Watson at Westspace. · Presentation of The Game of Love and Chance, an exhibition by Daylesford-based artist Vivienne Shark LeWitt at the Ian Potter Museum of Art. · Development of Recovery, a dance work by choreographers Shannon Bott and Natalie Cursio working with entomologist Marc Tracy. · Rehearsal and presentation of COOP, a cross-art form theatre work by Black Hole Theatre, using puppetry, sound, projected media and live performance. · A range of strong writing projects from poets Diane Fahey, Louise Crisp and David Prater; novelists Kathleen Fallon, James MacIntyre and Cameron Rogers; children’s author/ illustrator Trudy White; and a new anthology from And Collective.
The full list of grant recipients is attached.
VICTORIA ROCKS FUNDING RECIPIENTS
Alberts, Andy WARRNAMBOOL $4,000
Andy Alberts and the Walkabouts will tour Ballarat, Horsham and Heywood in regional Victoria to promote his first album Life and Land in January 2008. This will help regional Victorian to hear stories and songs from an Aboriginal perspective.
Arts House NORTH MELBOURNE $24,700
The Black Arm Band will tour the UK with Murundak, performing at the London International Festival of Theatre. This will be an important networking opportunity for the members of the Black Arm Band and will be used to establish future international touring and career opportunities.
Keenan, Justin OCEAN GROVE $9,300
Melbourne group The Go Set will tour Germany and Austria in February 2008 to promote the release of their third album in Europe.
Rahmani, Nasrine NORTHCOTE $6,000
Latin funk outfit San Lazaro will undertake an extensive tour of regional areas on the East Coast, South Australia and Tasmania during March and April 2008.
Sultan Loorham, Daniel AIREYS INLET $6,000
Dan Sultan will tour Australia to support his new album Homemade Biscuits. The tour will include performances with Black Arm Band at the Sydney Festival, Perth Festival, Womadelaide and Cannot Buy My Soul Festivals ahead of national headline tour dates with his full band.
Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd ST LEONARDS $10,500
A Scholarship has been established for ten Victorian songwriters to attend APRA’s Sydney Song Summit in April 2008. Places will be available for five mainstream and five Indigenous Victorian songwriters supporting their creative and professional development. Application details will be available from APRA and the Arts Victoria website.
Australian Music Collective FITZROY NORTH $15,000
The Australian Music Collective will present a series of international live music showcases for Australian musicians. Between March 6 - 28 showcases will be held in LA, San Francisco, Austin, Chicago, New York and London including their flagship event: The Aussie BBQ at the South by South West Convention in Austin, Texas.
Buxton Walker Pty Ltd BALACLAVA $5,500
Appointment of a part-time administrator for the Melbourne Fringe Jazz festival in 2008.
Footscray Community Arts Centre Ltd FOOTSCRAY $18,500
Development of a pilot program of activities aimed at promoting access and increasing the professional skills of emerging musicians from the western suburbs, working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The Push Incorporated BRUNSWICK $9,800
The Push Artists Summit 2008 is a series of artist development workshops to be held across Victoria in mid 2008. These are provided free of charge to participants and will provide multiple workshop topics as well as an open networking environment.
A.O.N. THOMASTOWN $1,500
Melbourne band AON will record a 4 track demo CD that will be used to gain media profile for the band and live performance opportunities.
Auspicious Arts Projects On behalf of the Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble SOUTHBANK $5,000
The Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble album project encompasses design, manufacture, publicity campaign and distribution of their CD World within Worlds.
Brous, Sophie EAST MALVERN $6,000
Sophie Brous will record an EP for commercial release.
Changeling Music TECOMA $8,000
Children’s music group The Mighty BuZZniks will record, mix and master their debut CD. The project includes design of a marketable visual brand and website development.
Cox, Andrew MOOROODUC $10,000
The Fauves singer and songwriter Andrew Cox will record and release a solo album project.
Gentleman's Relief Records ELWOOD $5,000
Hip Hop duo Low Budget will use support from Victoria Rocks to promote their album Tough Guys Don't Dance through a targeted print and digital advertising campaign.
Lang, Simone BRUNSWICK $1,000
Afo will create a demo recording of their fusion of electro sound and traditional West African drumming to help develop media and touring opportunities.
Lee, John FAIRFIELD $16,884
Melbourne band Mountains in the Sky will complete recording and manufacture their debut album to coincide with an extensive marketing and PR release strategy including a national tour.
Linguey, Dean PRESTON $2,720
Sound Artist Dean Linguey will release Nightwalker’s Song , a collection of sound installation pieces, new compositions and field recordings.
Macmillan, Gus BRUNSWICK WEST $3,500
Devil Goat Family String Band will record their second album including original compositions for independent release.
Mark Sydow Management FITZROY $7,500
The Josh Owen Band will launch their debut album. The project consists of a tour to six major capital cities and New Zealand in conjunction with a media campaign which includes production of two video clips, a publicist and promoting key tracks to radio.
Murphy, Tamara COLLINGWOOD $6,000
Melbourne bassist Tamara Murphy will record a new album for her quintet Murphy's Law in conjunction with the Silo String Quartet and sound artist David Shea. The project components include recording, national promotion and distribution, a digital release scheme and CD launch in Melbourne.
Owen, Charlie ST KILDA $15,600
Musician Charlie Owen will record, mix and master his solo album for local and international release.
Piras, Gabriel NORTHCOTE $5,000
Plastic Palace Alice will release its album The Great Depression. The album release is an collaboration between Plastic Palace Alice, Inertia Distribution and Shiny Publicity to develop their audiences and support touring activity.
Ridgway, Matthew NORTH FITZROY $6,225
Melbourne band Winterpark will record and master their second album with Producer Casey Rice.
Shiel, Tim FLEMINGTON $4,480
Electronica producer and sound artist Tim Shiel will create his new recording project Faux Folk. The project includes recording, mastering and pressing the album to CD and vinyl, establishment of a website for mail order distribution and launch of CD.
Thrussell, David YAPEEN $10,000.00
Composer David Thrussell will record a new SNOG album for commercial release. The project includes artwork and manufacture of CD and covers related costs for a publicist and musicians.
Waters, Amarina HUGHESDALE $5,000
Amarina Waters will record her debut album. The project components are the recording, mixing and mastering of the album followed by manufacture and launch of CD.
Anthony, Zachary THORNBURY $10,000
Melbourne band The Wellingtons will tour Japan and Europe April – May 2008 to support their international release of their album Heading North for the Winter.
Bowman, Megan ELSTERNWICK $1,515
Singer songwriter Megan Bowman will perform at the Java International Music Festival and the Singapore Mosaic Music Festival in March 2008.
Burgess, Rosie CAULFIELD NORTH $6,000
Rosie Burgess will tour West Australia and South Australia with shows in each capital and regional performances. 14 confirmed gigs across the two states including playing at the Nannup Festival in WA supported by an extensive publicity campaign.
Lang, Jeff GLEBE $5,000
Victorian artist Jeff Lang will embark on a two week UK tour of ARIA Award nominated album Whatever Makes You Happy and then to Tokyo to support the Japanese release of the album 'Prepare Me Well'.
Luscombe, Daniel NORTHCOTE $19,600
The Drones will conduct a tour of the USA in March 2008. This will be the group's fifth tour of the USA and continue to build momentum in that market following a recent twenty three date tour supporting US group Band of Horses in November 2007.
McClumpha, Anthony NORTHCOTE $3,872
Five week tour in March-April 2008 of Western Europe by Australian one man band Made For Chickens By Robots to promote and celebrate the release of an EP Got Shine on French independent record label SIC Records, involving 18 performances across seven countries.
My Friend the Chocolate Cake BRUNSWICK $18,000
My Friend the Chocolate Cake will tour the UK & Europe August - September 2008. They will play an extended season at the Spiegeltent at the Edinburgh Festival followed by further UK shows, and a double bill with Naked Raven in Germany.
Smartartists Management FITZROY $25,000
Melbourne based original musical act Midnight Juggernauts will conduct an extensive international tour in 2008, in support of licensing opportunities in overseas territories of their self-released, self-funded album Dystopia, through their own label Siberia Records.
VROOM / Music NSW BOTANY $43,000
VROOM Victoria – Searchable Live Music Venue database.
This website is an innovative tool for live musicians to build tours by providing detailed venue information and helping artists to develop news audiences. The project will help to establish touring networks in Regional Victoria and link up with VROOM sites being constructed in other states to increase national touring opportunities.
Terrasphere Productions YARRAVILLE $17,850
A delegation representing Victorian Indigenous Musicians will visit the Womex World Music Expo in Seville Spain, to explore opportunities to promote their music on the world stage.
Nicky Bomba WILLIAMSTOWN $3,000
Nicky Bomba will attend the WOMEX World Music Expo in Seville Spain to promote Multicultural artists in Victoria.
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