CHAT SESSION 77 with Steve and Helen Myles
Topic- Peninsula musicians Steve and Helen Myles decided to launch a campaign to reinvigorate the Peninsula’s live music scene.
Monday 14th October 2024 1pm https://rppfm.com.au
Podcast 🎧 https://megaphone.link/LCRUI9588227875
Music has always played an integral part in the Peninsula’s identity, as vital as its wine and beaches. Be it Big Bands celebrating the end of the war on the Sorrento foreshore, Australian Crawl providing the soundtrack to long hot summers, live jazz floating through the vineyards or local buskers lighting up a dull shopping mall, music has been there to add joy and colour to our lives.
The Peninsula’s musicians have made a valuable contribution to the Australian songbook. Some of the most successful bands and musicians from the Peninsula include Australian Crawl, Something for Kate, and Gotye. Mount Martha-born busker-turned global pop star Tones and I played her first performances at the Haba and God’s Kitchen venues in Mornington.
Unfortunately, the halcyon days of the 70’s and 80’s are long gone. The time when live music could be found in pubs across the Peninsula on most nights of the week and the likes of Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel were smashing it at the Pier Hotel are a fond, but distant memory. Covid was tough for many, it was brutal on the live music industry.
It was against this backdrop that two Peninsula musicians Steve and Helen Myles decided to launch a campaign to reinvigorate the Peninsula’s live music scene. It all started by chance via a golf lesson at Eagle Ridge Golf Course not long after reopening post Covid. First time visitors to Eagle Ridge, they were impressed by the food and beverage facilities. Steve and Helen are businesspeople with vast experience in the hospitality industry via their Yarra Valley winery Immerse. In their minds, Eagle Ridge has amazing facilities and is perfect for live music. A chat with the Golf Pro and soon to be General Manager, Jason Glanz established live music wasn’t happening at Eagle Ridge but may be of interest. Steve and Helen put a proposal to Jason that was easy to accept, their band would play a gig at Eagle Ridge free of charge, a no risk way for Jason to road test live music. Folks turned up, loved the music, the venue, and as they say, the rest was history.
Steve and Helen worked with Jason and his team to develop a live music program that has seen Eagle Ridge become one of the busiest and most successful live music venues on the Peninsula. In only a couple of years Eagle Ridge has progressed from one gig on a Saturday afternoon to 5-6 gigs a week. Eagle Ridge presents live music under the banners of Peninsula Beer Garden and the Velvet Lounge. This provides a platform for around 20 Peninsula-based artists to showcase their talents to both locals and visitors to the Peninsula. Artists play free entry gigs in the beautiful beer garden with stunning views over the golf course when the sun’s out, or inside in the funky bar area when it’s not.
The Velvet Lounge has become one the Peninsulas premiere live entertainment rooms. Comfortably seating around 130 patrons it presents the country’s leading tribute bands, recording and touring artists and comedians. These ticketed shows which can include dinner or show only have become immensely popular and sell out on a regular basis.
Part of Steve and Helen’s strategy to reinvigorate the live music scene was to demonstrate to key stakeholders that it was possible to create a successful live music venue on the Peninsula. They were proactive in sharing the story of live music at Peninsula Beer Garden with musicians, other venue owners, promoters, the media, and the all-important folks at the Shire. They held several highly successful live music industry nights where key stakeholders were able to share best practise, network and hear what was being done to reinvigorate live music on the Peninsula. The Shire has a significant impact on the health of the live music scene via its Music Plan, funding, and grants to industry and they were invited to outline their strategy at the industry nights.
The Shire have acknowledged the significant role Steve, Helen and Peninsula Beer Garden at Eagle Ridge have in refocusing key stakeholders of the opportunities for live music on the Peninsula.
Music at Peninsula Beer Garden and in the Velvet Lounge at Eagle Ridge is going from strength to strength with more gigs and more artists scheduled during the daylight savings period. The traditional quiet winter season has been incredibly busy which suggests summer is going to be amazing.
The message from Steve and Helen is “the best way to ensure we can continue the rich history of live music on the Peninsula is to support the wide variety of fantastic venues across the Peninsula. The Shire, RppFM Radio Station and other social media platforms all have gig guides making it easy to find out what’s happening on the Peninsula when it comes to live music, who’s performing and at which venue”.
Both ways to Happy Days at ‘Eagle Ridge’ and ‘Peninsula Beer Garden’.
My hope is that when you’re looking at yourself in the
‘The Daily Mirror’
YOU SMILE
EMBRACE BEING YOU
AND FIND 10 MINUTES IN YOUR DAY TO NOURISH YOUR SOUL!
To get in touch with Cathy email smileinthedailymirror@gmail.com
'The Daily Mirror' acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.
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