Phillip Holliday writes:

The perfect meal in Melbourne. Great wine and delicious cocktails (you must try the foamy delight of the 'Drover Club'), and very informed and delightful staff. Highlights (aside from everything) were the sardine fingers with whipped Murray cod roe and dill, 'chip shop potato cakes' with salmon roe and cultured cream with chives (great to see what is known elsewhere as the 'potato scollop' elevated to the true food icon it deserves to be), the octopus salami, and the juicy, rich tri tip with Tasmanian mountain pepper and those spectacular foraged greens. Highly recommended.

The Blues Tram is an excellent and really fun couple of hours on a tram which moves through Bendigo with a small PA on board. You pays your money, hops aboard and listens to good tunes with a buddy or a lover.

Mandy will be performing one set, and sharing the bill with Dean Haitani. Dean’s got a blistering fingerstyle and has toured Australia, Europe and the States, producing 14 studio albums over 20 years. He has been inducted into the Australian Blues Hall of Fame, supported Dutch Tilders, the Choir Boys and Ian Moss, with regular airplya on Radio National, PBS and 3RRR. He has upcoming shows in Canberra, Yass, Orange, Bellingen and more.

Bendigo Tramways, Central Deborah Gold Mine and Explore Bendigo. Tickets available via https://www.facebook.com/TheBluesTram.

Performing at the Lomond Hotel in Brunswick East with Stef Duzel.

Check out the Lomond Menu - Bookings for a table are strongly recommended- call the venue on the number below.

Part of the famous ongoing series curated by Rodney Claringbould and facilitated by Ray Moon, which ran for 20+ years at the Clifton Hill Hotel before moving across from 3RRR Radio station in Brunswick East.

The Acoustica nights were host to Mandy’s first Melbourne shows and have regularly hosted Mandy from her earliest days, through the various band formats and duos she has performed as, and famously has programmed some of the best blues folk and roots, including Oriel Glinnen, Tiffany Eckhartd, Geoff Achison, Fiona Boyes, Nick Charles and hundreds more.

Bookings (03) 9380 1752

225 Nicholson Street, East Brunswick Brunswick East, VIC, Australia 3057

Acoustica is 30 years old! Curated by Rodney Claringbould, this event has taken place at multiple venues over the years, including the Star & Garter, the Clifton Hill Hotel, and now at The Lomond Hotel. To celebrate, we are putting on two mega-shows on Sunday afternoons.

The first on 14May23 features the best of the Acoustica 'folkie' acoustic music stream, with people who have been loyal supporters and performers for decades. The poster lists them in order of appearance, and it will be a mega-event for the paltry donation of $20.

These performers are already household names; Kavisha Mazzella, Mandy Connell, Oriel Glennen, Alanna and Alicia Egan, Bill Jackson, Enda Kenny, Michael Waugh, & Mick Pealing with Nick Charles. You will be treated to a wide range of folk-influenced singer/songwriters and supporting musicians. This unique concert is not to be missed if you're interested in contemporary folk music. Booking is essential (through TryBooking.com), as this will be a very popular event.

Kitchen 18:00. Great Guinness, cheeky wines, crafty beers and classic pub tucker including coffee and desserts. See you there!

Facebook Event Here OR Tickets via Trybooking

Follow me on Bandcamp!

Brunswick Ballroom- Songs in the Round with Cate Taylor

$10 or more by donation

Mick Coates & The Tibooburra Three
Featherhead
Badcock Brothers
Phil & Trudy Edgely

Presented by Mandy Connell and Graeme Fletcher

A wonderful day in the beer garden at the Kangaroo Hotel, 89 High Street Maldon.

We present music in Djaara country, home of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. Sovereignty was never ceded.

Tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/goldfields-folk-roots-roo-fest-march-18th-tickets-512236191237?aff=erelexpmlt

I’ll be playing two sets somewhere between 11am and 3pm in the lovely Warby Valley Market! Free entry, great for kids.

DOORS 7PM // SHOWTIME 7.30-9.30PM
TICKETS: $20 + BF

On Thursday 19 January at 7.30pm, come along to see Mandy Connell and James Fahy play songs and swap stories at Northcote's cosiest stage, Open Studio.

Mandy Connell is such a special perfomer, with a deep knowledge of traditional music and using it to build great modern folk. I'll be sitting down with her in the Nashville format made famous at the Bluebird Cafe, playing on each other's songs and taking questions from the crowd.
For any gourmands reading this, Open Studio is famous for their sweet & savoury crepes �
For any music fans reading this - it'll be a treat! Request a song in the chat! Heads up, it is now tradition that we cover at least one James Kenyon song.

Connell is part country and part folk. Trills and affectations straight from Anglo-Celtic tradition cut through songs as fresh and original as if they were written in your back yard.
The Melbourne native now lives in Castlemaine, with her handmade (Jack Spira) guitars, (Graham McDonald) Mandolin and a garden. Connell’s voice, fingerstyle guitar technique, her deep folk background and her experience in the festival scene are all notable, but ultimately there’s a power in every performance which stands apart from her skills.
It is Connell’s presence and ability to share which has earned her the respect of David Francey, Eric Bogle and Judy Small. A musician’s musician and a real treat to see, Connell is well worth venturing out of the house.

James Fahy is an eagle-voiced, finger-picking singer-songwriter who writes under the influence of the whole dang century. His songs draw from Connie Converse, the Ink Spots, Elliott Smith, The White Stripes, Toumani Diabate, Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Jeff Buckley, Darren Hanlon and Radiohead. If you can spot a chord progression he stole, he'll buy you a beer : )

Please book shows carefully as the venue has a no refund policy if you change your mind.

Food

We offer a simple pizza menu, available every day we're open from 11am - the perfect accompaniment for a glass of wine or tasting pallet of beer. 

Wine and craft beer

On taste at our cellar door are our signature Shiraz wines over multiple vintages. Our latest releases also include Greco and Grenache Rosé and are presented alongside several other Mediterranean red varieties – all available by the glass. We serve a generous tasting flight of any four of our wines for $15, so that you can get to know them a little better.
Our bar offers up to 20 taps of craft beer of all styles brewed by us on site. We recommend trying our $15 Tasting Pallet of four beers to sample our range. Most of the range is available to takeaway, but there are some beers that can only be tried here.
For everything else, we have a fully stocked fridge full of your usual favourites, including cider and soft drinks. We make pretty damn good coffee, too.

We love dogs at Shiraz Republic. Our cellar door, farm and winery is dog friendly, but please be ready to have your dogs on a lead as there is often livestock on the farm in addition to other dogs, including our very own wine dogs, Annie & Clancy, who are sometimes at the cellar door with their owners. (Annie & Clancy are even on Instagram...)

Kids are always welcome at Shiraz Republic!

However, please be mindful that Shiraz Republic is a working farm and all kids remain under your supervision.

As for accommodation, we welcome dogs in our Bills Shed studio - but not our other units (Vineyard Views) - sorry!

ACCESSIBILITY

There are some steps into the bar area. The outdoors stage has old wooden park tables/benches. Sensible shoes are recommended.

Shiraz Republic acknowledges the Taungurung People as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and play. This land is their traditional Country and we pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

5pm The Cartwheels

4pm Jesse Lawrance

3pm Alluvium

2pm Mandy Connell

$20 / $10 Conc Entry Fee

Card Payment is Available on the door

Tips for the event or bands are possible and welcome.

No Seating Reservations, but exceptions are possible for good reason.

In the Beer Garden, there is a Cash Only Beer, Wine and Cider bar.

Accessibility:

Music is staged in the beer garden, which is mostly grass, with some concrete flooring. It is accessed via a large gate from Fountain Street. Call/email us at the Roo to ensure seating.

We will endeavour to livestream the event. This is currently dependent on Mandy's tech ability, so not guaranteed. Tech assistance is welcome.

The Beer Garden and Bar are separated by a relatively steep concrete ramp, and there is a 17 cm step up into the male toilets. The venue regrets that we do not have accessible toilets. Men's and ladies' toilets are located inside the bar.

Kids and Dogs are welcome. Unattended dogs and children will be given martinis and lessons in Scots / Gaelic swear words. Loud unattended children will also be given pet chickens and tambourines.

Thrilled to be back playing with Bob Hutchison and Craig Kelly Music again in naarm! Huge thanks to the brilliant lovelies at The Drunken Poet for asking us back. We Love You. Two Sets, 4pm to 6pm. Food can be found locally but the poet is not a pub grub venue, so if you need feed, that might be a before/aftter kind of scenario.

Live music six nights a week and one of the best Irish Pubs (outside Ireland) in the world, as voted by the Irish Times.

Mandy Connell, Khristian Mizzi and Enda Kenny entertain the Lomond Acoustica crew for the last Acoustica of the year!

Bookings are still essential as always, and you will need to show a vaccination certificate to gain entry. Please call the Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East, if you have any queries -

A proper stage, in an idyllic setting, at a winery! Not far out of Bendigo, in the gorgeous Mt Alexander/Bendigo stretch. This is a great opportunity to take a weekend, book some acommodation and see some live music (There’s plenty going on).

2 sets from Connell, solo. Entry is free- pizza and wine at reasonable prices. It’s largely outdoors and the weather is unpredictable. Bring sunscreen, hats, proper shoes and warm clothes as well. As everywhere, you’ll need to show a vaccination certificate to someone on arrival. For more info on the venue, head to their website here: Shiraz Republic

PhotoCredit Bob Hutchison

I’m Stoked(!) to be sharing the bill with this incredible line up. Alowishus Jones, Liz Frencham, Louise McGregor and more…

I’m on from 5pm to 5.20. It’s a short set and it is a ticketed event so you have a chance to throw some readies to the musicians!

https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/arts-culture-theatres/event/bendigo-blues-roots-music-festival-presents-live-n-local?utm_source=GoTix+eNews&utm_campaign=aed637c74b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_03_16_10_33_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ff721f56de-aed637c74b-78058476