https://www.hawkerheights.com/home daily 1.0 2025-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/7eb8229f-d485-429d-a0c8-2f44dcd617fe/Neil+bnw+303+HH+Tele.jpg https://www.hawkerheights.com/about-hawker-heights daily 0.75 2026-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/f2482d13-ea1f-41cb-8102-f4bcab9a13a1/Hawker+Heights_Neil+Close+Up+at+303+Northcote.jpg About Hawker Heights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/35dd504a-3f2d-40f4-903d-df143babf1f2/HH+fleur+Delis.png About Hawker Heights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1599888150672-BLGN7793KMZNBO8W2T0T/Hawker+Heights_round+logo+Desktop_white+on+black.jpg About Hawker Heights https://www.hawkerheights.com/music daily 0.75 2026-02-05 https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast daily 0.75 2021-01-10 https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/episode-06-kellie-santin monthly 0.5 2021-02-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1612169340738-P8AWRAJO7E8NHCE7LMA0/kellie%2Bsantin.jpg Guitars and Arts - Episode 06: Kellie Santin | Saxophonist, Bandleader, Educator - Ever wondered what it was like to play music on a national TV show on a weekly basis…LIVE to air? Kellie Santin knows. From a musical upbringing featuring an un-prompted love for bop and post-bop, to being the inaugural recipient of the James Morrison scholarship, to cramming a cigarette and something to eat in during live ad breaks on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Kellie has played alongside many greats such as BB King, Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Randy Crawford, Bonnie Raitt and more. Please enjoy this insightful and often funny trip through Kellie’s life as a professional live performer and educator. https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/episode-05-dylan-shearsby monthly 0.5 2021-01-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1611470085562-VEJF9I7K9AZX4JGALYB3/dylan+shearsby.jpeg Guitars and Arts - Episode 05: Dylan Shearsby | Storyboard Artist, Children’s Book Author and More Ever heard of a storyboard artist? Well, if you haven’t you’ll likely to have been watching their work for decades without really knowing it. From script to filming, there’s a need to visually conceptualise the story of a TV ad or any other content to help bring a company’s products or service to life. This is where Dylan Shearsby steps in. Hear how Dylan got into the craft and how his versatility also has had him become a renowned children’s book author (Upside Down Sid) as well as a deft hand with watercolours. Oh, and how he actually came to make a living from visual art. https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/episode-04-nigel-dalton monthly 0.5 2021-01-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1610262720054-WIF10QM7KK6CHPZ2C1RD/Nigel+Dalton+2.jpeg Guitars and Arts - Episode 04: Nigel Dalton | Australasian Godfather of Agile & Guitar Tragic "The highest paid punk rhythm guitarist in history." Well, that's how tech and Agile evangelist Nigel Dalton describes himself. But besides being a guitar and music tragic, Nigel wears many many other hats. In this episode, we hear about Nigel's UK-migrated New Zealand upbringing, and how he went from a young hippy tech geek to one of Australia's leading thought leaders in the Agile product develop/workflow method. Sounds geeky and unrelated to music? Well, that's where you'd be wrong. In this chat, we discover some amazing lessons around the methods Toyota, big tech and other big players in business use that can help a musician or any other artist get things done. And get things done more 'right' for their audience than ever. From the 80s/90s tech bubble and its burst, to Nigel's time at Lonely Planet and then REA Group, this chat is a wild and fascinating ride through those Venn diagram moments where business, technology, humans and art meet. https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/episode-03-stephen-magnusson monthly 0.5 2021-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1610169369852-72TT2VMO9M9JQ5NUN9LP/MAG%2BPRS.jpg Guitars and Arts - Episode 03: Stephen Magnusson (2 of 2) From jazz greats such as Vince Jones, Charlie Haden and Mike Nock to luminaries in pop and rock such as Paul Kelly, Katie Noonan and Ricki Lee Jones, Australian jazz guitarist Stephen Magnusson has comfortably pushed the boundaries of his chosen idiom to exciting places. In this second half, we pick up where we left off with the infamous Wangaratta Jazz Festival moment and then dive into guitar and gear nerd-dom. https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/episode-02-sarah-hamilton-ditto-music monthly 0.5 2020-11-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1605582384137-4W73XK0T276GSI2890Q8/sarah+hamilton.jpeg Guitars and Arts - Episode 02: Sarah Hamilton — Ditto Music - It’s no secret that the world of music has changed drastically over the last ten years (and more). Neil Boland sat down with Sarah Hamilton, Australian Operations Manager at Ditto Music, a digital music distributor with offices in in 16 countries, that continues to lead the way for musicians who need to get their music heard, and heard by the right audiences. Lots of great advice for musos here, too! https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/episode-01-stephen-magnusson monthly 0.5 2021-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1605571321868-AFC3NWKVK0G6AMX8CKGL/MAG+PRS.jpg Guitars and Arts - Episode 01: Stephen Magnusson (1 of 2) From jazz greats such as Vince Jones, Charlie Haden and Mike Nock to luminaries in pop and rock such as Paul Kelly, Katie Noonan and Ricki Lee Jones, Australian jazz guitarist Stephen Magnusson has comfortably pushed the boundaries of his chosen idiom to exciting places. Neil sat down to talk about everything from Steve’s first guitar to a love of Cold Chisel and Bill Frisell (and the rest!). https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/category/Travel monthly 0.5 https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/category/Relationships monthly 0.5 https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/category/Health monthly 0.5 https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/category/Culture monthly 0.5 https://www.hawkerheights.com/guitars-and-arts-podcast/category/Sports monthly 0.5 https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog daily 0.75 2026-02-05 https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog/2026-studio-rumour monthly 0.5 2026-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/35dd504a-3f2d-40f4-903d-df143babf1f2/HH+fleur+Delis.png Latest - 2026 Studio Rumour… - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog/night-moves monthly 0.5 2025-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015456652-31QJ913QGSFBXGRGN9J1/HH+303+Neil+Close+Use+for+FB+Ins.jpeg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015832528-SRVUUEI7IUYBGEB4O3AX/483349120_1212922983593091_3210816234020715303_n.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015641468-KMOVBGLT3D50UP4DJ8ZQ/20240919_203927.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015647331-AD16RW9NC3D13APTX4E2/HH+the+BEAST_Band+on+Stage.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015828066-4IPSU7RAMWR5HPKAA90I/476883486_1178178397169122_5262485535289090649_n.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015835734-Q2053WOXGT43YWPY3PXV/475457322_2056375314837189_5407832812015247631_n.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015829575-UQMPFA3LWV683QP1J7F5/482886790_1195511225424727_4641404277765303646_n.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1742015833130-HJP1BTQ8WBPXFW6V7KOC/483481537_1835545293912583_4127323062062517544_n.jpg Latest - Night Moves https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog/hawker-heights-is-back monthly 0.5 2024-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/634389c8-56de-4006-8e38-eae32aaac45f/20240804_124203.jpg Latest - Hawker Heights is Back! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.hawkerheights.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-08-04 https://www.hawkerheights.com/blues-guitar-snacks daily 0.75 2020-09-12 https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog-4 daily 0.75 2020-09-20 https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog-4/south-by-east-review-by-michael-smith-at-rhythms-magazine-australia monthly 0.5 2020-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600578777783-6MJB0ZWCRYV7CUW417SQ/Screen+Shot+2018-05-23+at+6.24.39+pm.png Blog 4 - South by East: Review by Michael Smith at Rhythms Magazine Australia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600578973568-PUXFXD1KR8TVD9KELCE7/Screen+Shot+2018-05-23+at+6.25.23+pm.png Blog 4 - South by East: Review by Michael Smith at Rhythms Magazine Australia https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog-4/blog-post-title-four-frkef monthly 0.5 2020-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600574009135-I2VKSXZ3XY2HEH7D9IPP/Jim+Byrnes+St+Louis+Times.jpg Blog 4 - The Wiseguy Blues Guy - Jim Byrnes’ Blues Musical Moonlighting, for Most Actors who become singers — we all know the story, huh? Quite often, when an actor achieves a certain level of notoriety—and gathers subsequent wealth—the temptation to blow some cash on studio time, some expensive session musos and put out an album is immense. And the results can expose some harsh truths, particularly the one that says, ‘stick to your day job’. The production is usually world-class, as is the band. But the weakest link is often the star spearheading and financing the project. And the summary of its parts only add up to thirty-odd foot of well, you know what. But there are exceptions. I have recently (re-)discovered singer and guitarist Jim Byrnes, and his album ‘St Louis Times’. The name wasn’t familiar to me at first, but hey, his music sounded wonderful upon a Spotify stumbling session. He’s a master blues musician and singer. I of course did some research, and whaddya know? He’s an actor. And I kinda already knew it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600574448561-QWHN8KD3UHVTK70U9Q6T/jim+byrnes+in+wiseguy.jpg Blog 4 - The Wiseguy Blues Guy - Gettin' Wise in the 80s Remember the late 80s TV show ‘Wiseguy’? You may remember Jim as Daniel Burroughs, otherwise known as ‘Lifeguard’, the back-to-base intelligence support guy to the undercover mobster-nabbing Wiseguy himself Vinnie Terranova (Ken Wahl). The show was also considered to be Kevin Spacey’s big break (as Mel Profitt). From a musical composition enthusiast’s point of view, the program is also notable for yet another distinctly Mike Post Mike Post intro theme. Also, for those IMDb TV geeks, Jim Byrnes was also in the cult 90s hit ‘The Highlander’, among a long list of other productions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600575540206-TSS6MD42WY3XEV3XE8NU/Jim+byrnes+playing+guitar+2016.jpg Blog 4 - The Wiseguy Blues Guy - A Quiet Veteran I n contrast to those who act and then sing, by several accounts, Byrnes has been a musician for as long, if not longer, than he’s been an actor. St Louis-born, but a long-time resident of Vancouver, Byrnes understands American musical tradition. And you can hear it in his musical approach. The album ‘St Louis Times’ is a musical trip from where the Missouri and Mississippi meet to the rest of the US’s bluesiest geographical corners. It is also a tribute to his birth town’s musical greats who either spent a good amount if time there or grew up there, with covers of tunes by Chuck Berry (Nadine), Albert King (I Get Evil), James ‘Stump’ Johnson (The Duck’s Yas Yas Yas). https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog-4/blog-post-title-three-89fay monthly 0.5 2020-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600572988707-2MRG8VVQ8N27AD8JYIG8/Ray+Beadle+back+in+the+day+Paul+Reed+Smith+PRS.jpg Blog 4 - Ray Beadle: Deluxe Australian Blues Guitarist - ‘Vintage’ Ray Beadle. Circe (possibly) late 90s/early 2000s Young Cat, Old Dogs, New Tricks It was some time in the late 90s. It was maybe a Foreday Riders gig, but more likely a Whose Muddy Shoes Gig. It was definitely at the smelly old Oxford Tavern in Wollongong. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was Ray Beadle on guitar. Me, I was a slightly cocky young guitar shredder hanging out at my favourite pub in the Illawarra, checking out as many bands as I could, sometimes 3-4 nights a week. On this night, a guy who was not too much older than me was sitting in with veterans, and tearing the blues a new backside on his beaten up black Paul Reed Smith. On this night, I heard this Australian blues guitarist giving a steep nod of the hat to Stevie Ray Vaughan and other blues guitar legends. But there was a big difference between Ray Beadle and the million other SRV clones. There was a hint of Brian Setzer-ish rockabilly in the harmonic sensibility and a pool of influences I hadn’t even encountered yet. But above all, there was taste; Ray had buckets of ear-grabbing phrases and licks. Oh, and he can really, really sing. And with much more deep soul influence than your average blues screamer. The Big Bopper Then, a few years later at the Australian Blues Music Festival in Goulburn NSW, I saw him again. From vague memory, it was with his band The Vipers. From crystal clear memory: a moment in a hyper-exciting jump blues tune where the band dropped out, leaving nothing but a swinging hi-hat and Ray’s guitar. What followed was about three minutes of self-comped jazz blues changes outlined by juicy extended chords and snaky Parker-esque bop lines mixed with swaggering blues bends. There has never been anything ‘standard’ about his playing. Ray is a rare electric blues guitar player in the sense that he has the ability to swing, and swing hard. The Goulburn show blew the crowd away, and it put me on the track to learning 'that sophisticated stuff', by hook or by crook. Since these experiences, I’ve always considered Ray Beadle as Australia’s best and most exciting blues musician. Ray’s star rose fast from the 90s to the 2000s, with a firm establishment in the hearts of blues fans far and wide. But we missed him for a while there. Around 2007, after a stint in the US—playing with BB King’s Club House Band in Memphis—he took a short break to drive trucks around the Australian east coast to support his family. But Beadle returned to the music scene in 2010 with gusto. Since then, he has played all around Australia in his electric blues setting with some of Sydney’s most accomplished rhythm sections, or as a deft-handed Django Reinhardt-influenced acoustic blues guitarist and solo singer. Ray Today Beadle has an exhausting schedule of gigs these days, and that’s a blessing for blues fans, especially if you live in Sydney. If you live anywhere else in Australia, and you see a Ray Beadle gig advertised near you, do not hesitate. Go and see Ray Beadle play. If you’re out in the middle of nowhere, buy his albums (I recommend his live double CD). We have the internet after all. As a reference, I’d like to acknowledge this great 2010 article from the ABC, which still has free audio of an interview recorded backstage at Byron Blues Fest outlining further details of Ray Beadle’s fascinating blues journey. Check out this brilliant performance at Byron Blues Fest. https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog-4/blog-post-title-two-2hx36 monthly 0.5 2020-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600572416082-JTEBDA3BXIFO3VKOBW7I/clarence+gatemouth+brown_texas+swing.jpg Blog 4 - Clarence Gatemouth Brown The Blues Purism Fighter I’m a child of the 80s. Naturally, my ear has been bent towards a taste for slick production and playing. As an only child, you don’t get much say or older-relative influence in the music you’re exposed to. On FM radio (AM until the late 80s for even the most adult contemporary stations) I was subliminally fed sweet harmony, chorused guitars and compressed walls of sound. I still love that today – Huey Lewis and the News, Little River Band, Hall and Oates, you name it. So, I’m a little slower to warm up to music of the more ‘organic’ or raw-form kind. With this, my earliest blues guitar heroes were Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford (who I still follow closely as a major influence) and the rockier edge of Gary Moore. Greats such as the three Kings – BB, Albert and Freddie – seemed distant to me, all because of grittier delivery, more sparse improv and their era origins. https://www.hawkerheights.com/blog-4/blog-post-title-one-8k8g9 monthly 0.5 2020-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f563efa2e088c3dded843f7/1600571143131-JRFACCCXK0MXRMZP5NQS/Kelly+Joe+Phelps_Brother+Sinner+and+the+Whale+Cover.jpg Blog 4 - Sometimes a Drifter: A Gospel Blues Flame Carrier - The M agic of Kelly Joe Phelps Acoustic blues is a part of the blues that I’ve really only ever admired from afar. Being primarily an electric player, of course my heroes have held Stratocasters, Telecasters, 335s and Les Pauls. But over the last couple of years I’ve been noticing the acoustic guys, especially those with gospel blues leanings. For some reason, the blues seems to become more significantly, well, bluesy, when filtered through or derived from the American church teachings from the first few decades of the 20th century. Yes, I know one obvious connection: the call and response of field workers and the solace found in the Bible at the time. All that. Maybe that’s all it is. Undiluted blues from the source. But there’s something more. And perhaps not being able to put one’s finger on the ‘it’ that makes it so special is the appeal. Gospel blues, or ‘country blues’, is alive and well today in a guy called Kelly Joe Phelps, a jazz bassist of over ten years turned sublime fingerstyle guitarist and blues singer-songwriter.Check out his 2012 album Brother Sinner and the Whale for a collection of beautiful gospel blues tunes delivered by his understated down-home voice and amazing guitar style featuring his deftly-coordinated picking hand. Playing guitar like this is almost like taking up another instrument for your standard guitar player; a parallel universe of technique. You could be forgiven for thinking that “Goodbye to Sorrow”, a tune penned by Phelps, is an old tune from the churches of the South. But Phelps’ re-incarnation of this style is just that good. Good enough to reach out and redeem. Good enough to draw you into the stories and messages of the old Testament, even if you’re a non-believer. Check out the video below. BUY: http://www.kellyjoephelps.net/discography/brothersinner.htm https://www.hawkerheights.com/big-news-for-early-sbe-cd-purchasers daily 0.75 2020-09-22 https://www.hawkerheights.com/donate daily 0.75 2025-05-08 https://www.hawkerheights.com/events daily 0.75 2025-08-19 https://www.hawkerheights.com/events/blues-league-beneath-driver-lane monthly 0.5 2025-08-19