Welcome to my parlour
Deborah Conway has been an iconic name in Australian music since the 80s. Her band Do-Ré-Mi burst upon the scene with the single Man Overboard in 1985 bringing a sophisticated sound to what was at the time an overly disposable pop scene. That band didn’t really go the distance despite a truly unique sound and the pinup looks of the sultry-voiced Conway. Their music, however, remained memorable and seemed to become more significant as time went by.
The next time I saw Deborah was in 1991. She was giving an impressive vocal performance in Peter Greenaway’s movie Prospero’s Books, followed that same year by a wonderful album of pure pop (String of Pearls).
But it was with the album, Summertown (2004) that Deborah and her life and musical partner Willy Zygier did something truly interesting. They began to play people’s homes. I’m not sure if this is a phenomenon that began overseas but at the time I’d never heard the like (here in Melbourne, it reputedly began with musician Matt Walters who eventually created a website to bring punters and musicians together).
For a reasonable fee, you could get the famous duo to play in your living room (or backyard) and invite the neighbours over for the gig – come – party.
Conway and Zyger used this gimmick to promote their album to great effect. And other bands followed suit. Now, I love music as I’m sure is obvious by the content I post. And to me, this was just the most wonderful idea I’d ever heard (I recently saw an online competition with the prize being a living room gig by U2).
Soon after hearing about this fascinating new approach to live music I actually caught Deborah and Willy at a more traditional venue, the Northcote Social Club (At the time – though sadly no longer – the closest thing to seeing a band in the living room you could get in Melbourne) The show was exactly what I’d hoped and at the end of the gig, there was Deborah herself selling and signing copies of the album.
I said, “I really didn’t expect to see you doing this.”
And she quite sensibly replied, “why not? Someone has to do it.”
All of this had me thinking about how overblown the music INDUSTRY has become in most people’s eyes. After all, these are just people like you and I doing what they love. Why can’t it all be as intimate as a Livingroom gig or a chat with a fan after the show?
©2016
Happy Holidays from Northern NJ. 🙂
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Thank you, my friend. Season’s greetings to you and yours as well.
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I have to run off to family gathering and will have more to say on this later. But brief comment – what a voice!
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I know, right.
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Enjoy your evening, mate.
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Yup! I like her. Will check more out. ‘Prospero’ one of Greenaways I haven’t seen. Recommended? Searchers, i love it (Also Needles and Pins, It’s that jangly guitar). Catch up after the “Fatman” comes!. Take it cool Jersey
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I was a Greenaway fan but Prospero is pretty dense going. Yeah, love me some Searchers and Needles is certainly high on my list also. Enjoy your holidays.
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This is awesome! Love your post — and neat music, very eclectic. 🙂
Hope you and your Beloved are having a fantastic and blessed holiday. Good to connect with you — Debbie
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Thank you, Debbie. Always nice to get a little positive feedback.
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🙂
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So anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. Great voice. I especially like ‘Man Overboard.’ Good song, clever lyrics. “Are you addicted to attention? Do you do it for effect?” Great stuff. She’s got.Annie Lennnox’ power. Is she still out there playing?
BTW, I always see the word ‘punter’ but am never 100% sure what it means. Completely unknown over here. Punter = fan?
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Punter comes from betting on horses. In this context it just means the ticket buyer. One of the more popular venues here in Melbourne is called the Punter’s Club.
Deb is definitely still playing around Australia. She’s very respected down here.
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It’s funny but I noticed James Corden has done these shows where he broadcasts out of a person’s living room. I watched it thinking this can’t be an original idea but how cool and fresh it seems in the context of that what is currently done by that genre. Maybe he got the idea from musicians. As for Only the Beginning, what a great song. Deborah and Willy seem like great artists who are all about the music.
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I’d say they are. I’m told by people who know her she can be a little prickly but you hear that about most celebrities, don’t you?
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Quite often.
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