Wallaby Stew + Aitch @ The Dog
Saturday, July 23 2005, 8pm

By Sandra Nixon
Posted Tuesday, July 19, 2005

July's Loaded Dog concert features Wallaby Stew and Aitch.

Wallaby Stew - A new dramatic look at Australia's pioneering days . . .

Neil Morrison and Penelope Grace have chosen the name WALLABY STEW for their unique presentation of Australia's best loved songs, ballads, stories and poems.

When Neil arrived in Australia from Scotland as a young boy, he took to these works with relish and immediately began to build up a substantial repertoire. For many years he performed a successful one-man show "Stir the Wallaby Stew", doing it all from memory, in the tradition of the great recitationists.

In 2002 he invited Penelope Grace (violin) to collaborate with him, a challenge she took up with enthusiasm. The music for the songs was already written, but providing an accompaniment for the spoken items involved a lot more raw creativity. For some Penelope found traditional tunes with a connection to the subject matter while for others she used well-known melodies from modern sources but put a satirical "slant" on them. For the rest she wrote entirely new music to fit the mood or highlight the drama.

Neil says that Penelope's music has in many instances given him an even greater appreciation of the words than he had before, and she in turn enjoys supporting him in his mission to keep the spirit of this body of work alive in the Australian community.

Included in the program to be presented at The Loaded Dog will be works by:

Dame Mary Gilmore, Henry Lawson, Edward Harrington, Lance Skuthorpe, Douglas Stewart, C. J. Dennis, Victor Daley and not forgetting Anonymous.

Aitch

Aitch is a performance poet, yarnspinner, singer & songwriter. He's the only person who commemorates an appearance on Macca's 'Australia All Over' by having "forgetfulness is an artform" on his business card.

He has been a solo performer for many years with a love of traditional folk music, in particular songs the Australian experience. His repertoire is fairly extensive with a mixture of original compositions and traditional songs, interspersed with humourous anecdotes and poems.

The Loaded Dog takes place in the upstairs hall of the Annandale Neighbourhood Centre in Johnston Street - the former Annandale Town Hall.

Doors open 7:40 - show starts promptly at 8:00 with floor acts.

Tickets: $14 ($12 concessions)

For more info contact Sandra Nixon (02) 9358 4886.

Coming up at the Dog . . .