A THREE-day festival championing local live music acts will be staged in venues across the city from the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Twenty different Be_Hear\/Now gigs will be held from Friday 30 June to Sunday 2 July, in traditional venues like Volta, and other more unorthodox spaces including Norwich Plaza, bookshops, and a deli.<\/p>\n
Electro country act Confetti Western, rapper Sami, folk-rock and pop outfit Pyrex, acoustic folk soloist Cassells, and new duo Iridescence are set to headline.<\/p>\n
Festival coordinator Sam Boon said the shows are a celebration of the future of Ballarat\u2019s live music scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cCreative Ballarat\u2019s aim is to develop these \u2018ones to watch,\u2019 who are the next artists coming through,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about putting musos in the limelight as something Ballarat has to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to celebrate as much local music as we can and draw audiences out to enjoy it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re activating unusual places, and different businesses are offering their spaces to allow musicians to come in, which is really supportive.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, we\u2019ve got a jazz and soul afternoon happening at Ellington\u2019s Wine Bar on Sturt Street, with an all-local band upstairs, and a visiting soul DJ on vinyls.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorwich Plaza has been taken over as a gig venue as well, so we\u2019re not just going to the usual music venues, although Ballarat\u2019s music venues are putting on extra special events as well over the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Boon said he expects that placing performers in different spaces will expose the acts to new listeners, link potential listeners with their next favourite sound, and encourage young musicians to follow their passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got so many wonderful spaces, and we\u2019re trying to bring people out to them,\u201d he said. \u201cNone of the gigs clash, so you can hop from one to the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hopefully inspires the next generation of artists to see that there\u2019s things happening here, and that they don\u2019t have to go to Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Be_Hear\/Now conference of networking, masterclasses and panel discussions coincides with the gigs.<\/p>\n
A Friday night industry party is set for Volta, with a performance from Freya Josephine Hollick, before an official launch of The Eastern Recording Project on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Other artists on the bill include Thing from Spring, Lashes, Crank Williams, Haven City, and many more.<\/p>\n
In previous COVID-impacted years, Be_Hear\/Now has been digital-focused with the production of music videos, and streams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A THREE-day festival championing local live music acts will be staged in venues across the city from the end of the month. Twenty different Be_Hear\/Now gigs will be held from Friday 30 June to Sunday 2 July, in traditional venues like Volta, and other more unorthodox spaces including Norwich Plaza, bookshops, and a deli. Electro […]<\/p>\n