Sam Lucas keeps his eye on a musical future

SAM LUCAS is a young cellist with a career as a classical musician that is well mapped out into the future. His success seems assured not only because of a natural talent but a strong determination to succeed through rigorous practice.

“The constant practice is not a chore for Sam,” says his father Ian Lucas, who with wife Lee run the remarkable Lucas Parklands concert venue in the middle of their Montville rainforest property.

“Practice is something he actually enjoys,” adds Ian. ”In fact it’s Sam’s practice ethic that has allowed him to improve at the rate he has.”

Sam has recently been accepted to compete in the ABC Young Performer Awards in 2012.

Round one is on 30 January and at 15 years old, Sam is apparently one of the youngest to be accepted into the competition. In this round he’ll be required to play a solo recital.

Round two, on 31 March requires a full concerto to be played from memory. If successful after that, the same concerto would be performed in Round three with an ABC orchestra – either the Tasmanian Symphony or Western Australia Symphony. This is Australia’s most prestigious competition and Sam is the first entrant from the Sunshine Coast. Winners of this competition usually go on to become Conservatorium graduates.

Sam has been positively influenced by artists at Lucas Parklands, and has been accompanied by some of the world’s best pianists.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to play with these artists,” says Sam, “and to observe their professionalism and hear their wonderful stories of performing in great concert halls around the world – it makes me try harder.”

The highlights of Sam’s coming year include a master class in Paris with Martine Bailly, principal cellist of the Paris Opera Orchestra. Sam met Martine at the International Cello Festival in Adelaide earlier this year.

Sam will also receive cello lessons in September with leading Bulgarian cellist, Plovdiv.

“I am very lucky to grow up in a musical home,” says Sam, “where every day music is played, discussed and performed.

“Maleny, Montville and Mapleton are all thriving artistic centres,” he adds. “It’s a fantastic learning environment and there are talented people who understand my ambitions.”

Sam doesn’t see that hours of practice mean a loss of social life. He has many interests other than music, having recently joined a local archery club to improve his technique, meet new friends and join their social competitions.

He’s a keen basketball player and will join his team at Nambour Christian College in the Sunshine Coast school competition. Fishing, go kart racing and athletics fill any spare time.

Sam has high ambitions for his musical career and his parents, Ian and Lee, hope he is able to realise his dream of becoming a professional cellist.

“It’s a very exciting time in his life,” says his mother Lee, “and he’s impatient to start university studies- he’s ready to go and we wish him the very best on his journey.”

Rapskallion takes to the eastern road again this summer, pedalling their new five track E.P “Le chat et Fiddle” from Melbourne town to Crystal Waters in a blaze of sweat, colour, feathers and accordion powered riffage.

“Le Chat et fiddle”(The Cat and Fiddle) is a collection of musical vignettes from a realm inhabited by back alley gangster felines, femme fatales, and silver moon maidens, with a soundtrack somewhere between a Chicago speakeasy, a Hungarian hoedown, and a Halloween party at a south seas pirate haven.

The buccaneers gone electric have extracted these five songs from their upcoming full length release, “Vagabond King”, which will be available on vinyl and CD in March 2012.

So come hell or high water Rapskallion shall be exploding onto The Deck at the Crystal Waters Eco Village, Sunday December 18, $10 entry, kids 16 & under free, Dinner available, BYO alcohol, Roll up, roll up!

Info – Tom: 5494 4590 or em:tombow51@ hotmail.com www.crystalwaters.org.au.

The Rain is the feature group at Beerwah’s Got Country on Saturday December 10 from 8pm.

Guitarist/vocalist Kelly Cork, drummer/vocalist Ian Belcher and bass player/vocalist Greg Eastwood are three friends and musical associates who love what they do, and do what they love as often as possible.

The Sunshine Coast-based trio started 2011 on a high note with a swag of successful performances at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, showcasing their new album, One More Shot.

Cold Comfort, the first single to come from this new collection of material from the prolific pen of bandleader Kelly Cork, is about to be seen in a whole new light – on YouTube and CMC, as the band’s first clip from the album.

Cold Comfort is about that old cliché of love lost – if I can’t you have you, it’s cold comfort for the rest of my life, explains band member Greg Eastwood.

On Saturday December 17 Palmwoods Got The Blues is on again with three more of the highest quality blues acts touring Australia today.

Since big Matt Southon began touring nationally, he has mightily impressed his knowledgeable music fans with his intense approach. Now adding Matt Elliott to the mix and coming under the moniker “Two Rivers Blues”, a recent cross continental drive to the Bridgetown Blues festival sees this exciting new blues duo ready to rock Palmwoods to its core.

Speaking of long drives, Sydney’s Swamphouse (pictured above) have put in the odd ten hr drive to get to Palmwoods and the veteran Australian musicians are a must see act on the Palmwoods calendar.

Only thousands of gigs can engender the type of incredible musicianship Swamphouse display each and every time they take the stage. Time spent with James T and the Last Volunteers and before that, The King Bees have exposed the boys to the best of the best.

So, how do you follow that? When only the best will do, you get the best. Ray Beadle (pictured below) is quite simply the most awe- inspiring bluesmen in Australia today. Having released two CDs in the last two years and with another very close, Ray is scaling impossible heights of songwriting while continuing to display his incredible chops and soaring vocals.

Ray is often spoken of in the reverential terms saved for those operating on a higher plane than most mere mortals. And yet Ray is one of the most humble of super musicians. You won’t hear any big noting from him. He lets his music do the talking and after he’s done, it’s the punters who are singing his praises.

In December Russian-born Innessa will make her Australian debut at the Upfront Club’s large stage in Maleny.

At age 9, Innessa was invited to join the local choir and began her lifelong passion for music and performing. After several years of expanding her vocal talents and learning the guitar, by the age of 16 she had combined her poetry, she started performing her original compositions.

In a very infant democratic Russia – Innessa was compelled to study law at university but never lost or forgot her true passion in life – Music. She immediately started a covers rock band and was influenced by artists such as The Cranberries, Garbage, No Doubt, Alanis Morissette and others.

She has spent time living, studying music and performing on the Black Sea, Moscow, Egypt, Spain,the USA, and has now settled in Australia.

At the Upfront gig on December 10 she will be supported by Ukranian guitarist, Misha Gursky, whom she met during the recording of her debut album this year, simply called Innessa. This album is a blending of Pop, Soft Alternative Rock, Russian Folk and unique romantic melodies into a diverse collection of 11 songs.

Music at 6.30pm. Gold coin donation Tel: 5494 2592.

Kicking off the pub’s “Roots, Beats and Special Treats” program on Saturday November 5, Adam Hole & Marji Curran (below) have been burning up the highways continuously for the last 3 yrs and with the release of their latest album “Red”, that’s not likely to stop anytime soon. Playing a high energy mix of roots, rock and blues, the only thing that will stop you dancing on the tables is the fact that the band will already be up there.

On Saturday November 19, Englishman Phil Edgeley is first up for Palmwoods Got The Blues.

Phil is another of those wonderfully talented singer/songwriters playing their trade under the Blues banner.. Phil has developed a unique style that is both dynamic and intense, perfectly suited to delivering his tales of the joy and the pain of what life brings and takes away.

Next up is our local Blind Lemon return to the stage. Former winners of the Blues Association, Band Of The Year title. Up to five gigs a week has honed this band’s set to a razors edge, an edge hewn on the knife edge rhythms of The Red Devils and Blues Traveller with healthy amounts of respect for Led Zeppelin and the immortal SRV.

And then, from 10.00pm Pete Cornelius (pictured below) returns to the Palmwoods stage for the first time in over two years. Pete Cornelius and the DeVilles have released seven full length albums, toured relentlessly, both here and overseas, featured at some of Australia’s most prestige festivals, including Byron Bay’s Bluesfest, The Great Southern Blues Festival, Blues on Broadbeach, Thredbo Blues Festival, The Australian Blues Festival, Forth Valley Blues Festival, Southern Roots, and more.

The DeVilles have gone through a few different phases in the past 11 years. Originally a hard-hitting Texas blues band, playing tunes from the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, the band have now settled into a new groove. Pete’s song writing, singing and guitar playing have evolved and remain comfortably in the blues and roots camp.

Palmwoods Hotel – November 5 – 8pm. Free entry. Saturday November 19 – 5.30pm. Free entry.

2011 is shaping up to be a great year for Steven and his band. Steven started the year doing a benefit concert in Tamworth with Troy Cassar Daley, Bill Chambers, Shane Nicholson among others then with the 2nd single GOING BACK TO MEXICO already picking up great Radio support, The Video now being picked up by CMT Pure in the States.

August saw three stand out performances at the 30th anniversary Gympie Music Muster and November will see the release of Steven’s sixth album Five 2 Midnight.

Steven has a band that truly does justice to the songs and as good as they are, to those that have heard him will testify that live, is where he is most at home.

He moves seamlessly between styles and brings a connection with the audience that so often exceeds expectation.

Steven Jaymes and his band is at the Beerwah Hotel on Saturday November 12 at 8.00pm.

The popular Caxton Street Jazz Band will be back on the Sunshine Coast and blowing up a storm on Saturday December 3 at the Kawana Community Hall from 7.30- 10.30pm.

The 6 piece Caxton Street Jazz Band band appeals not only to jazz aficionados but has a wide following from the general public who enjoy good music and dancing.Their music is drawn from the early Ellington,Armstrong, Bechet, Morton and Bix through to the mainstream jazz of the 30s 40s and 50s This is a band formed by a group of talented musicians who simply enjoy playing and entertaining.

The Caxton St Jazz Band Xmas Special will be be too good to miss. Bookings by phoning Ted on 5491 6017 or Alan 5478 3137 (credit cards).

La Petite Manouche

Consequently, they have come out and formed La Petite Manouche - a guitar duo with influences of gypsy and modern jazz, creating a unique fusion of music. Influences are widespread, ranging from Django to classical and baroque music, free jazz to fusion, celtic and world music, even popular and dance music.

Notable influences include Biréli Lagrène, Sylvain Luc, The Rosenberg Trio, Ulf Wakenius, Pat Metheny, and Jonathan Kreisberg.

Their style of gypsy jazz music was created around WWII by an illiterate French gypsy named Django Reinhardt. The music is essentially traditional French musettes, waltzes and folk music blended with the swing and jazz music. It was brought to Paris in WWII primarily by African-America jazz musicians travelling from America in search of a better life, away from racism and discrimination.

La Petite Manouche is at the UpFront Club on Friday November 25. Music at 6.30pm. Gold coin donation.

violinist, Catherine Haig with the Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra

The Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra is delighted with the recent addition of Maria Salmon to take up the mantle of music director and conductor for both the string orchestra and sinfonia strings. Maria has a music career that spans 27 years – from music teacher, to concert performer, to conductor for the WAYO string orchestra.

The SCYO will be rounding off a fantastic year with a Gala

performance at 6pm on Saturday, November 5 at the Coolum Civic Centre. Tickets are $5 or $15 for families. The SCYO is also offering places within the four concert groups to both budding and established young talents for 2012. Auditions will be held on November 19/20. However, note that applications close on November 6! Visit www.scyo.org.au or phone 5412 1330 for more information.