The Ocean Grove Open Mic Fest
Ocean Grove, located on the Bellarine Peninsula, is not your average coastal town. It has a thriving live music scene that is mostly located in the Piping Hot Chicken Shop (a chicken shop in the day and a music venue at night).
Every weekend something is happening, and this is mainly due to the hard work of Ocean Grove identity Sarah Carroll (wife of Chris Wilson), who sources big name acts from Melbourne to play. Sarah herself plays in country/pop/rock band The Junes, who feature regularly at the chicken shop.
Proprietor of the Piping Hot Chicken Shop John Bowman (aka Captain Chook) has always wanted the sound of music wafting in and around Ocean Grove. Over the 2009 Queen's Birthday weekend this dream was realised. With a $1500 grant from OGAN (Ocean Grove Arts Network), this collaborative community truly showed just what it could push out with a little help from their friends.
The inaugural event featured more than 50 individual acts and bands over four days. It created such a great vibe and atmosphere for the town during a cold and blustery winter weekend. Four venues, all offering a performance space and P.A., invited musicians to put their name on the blackboard and have a go.
The weekend commenced with Bellarine Secondary College's VET Music Class feature concert on the Friday night at the Piping Hot Chicken Shop, organised by local teacher/musician Steve McEwan. This group of young musicians demonstrated that live music is the language of us all.
Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, the Rockaholics were taking us a long way to the top at The Zebra Bar. The Rockaholics returned on the Saturday night but had some stiff competition from Chris Wilson and the Wishbones, who set a crowd record for Captain Chook!
While customers were having a laid back lunch, dinner or cup of coffee they were treated to all genres of music: mainly guitar singer songwriters, although a bush band and some great jazz was thrown in on Monday afternoon.
Matons abounded with accomplished musicians from Tim Neal, Nigel Wearne and Steve McEwan, who provided entertainment for the cost of a donation to the Arts Network.
Up-and-comers included Hollie Joyce, who played an amazing set filled with slide guitar and spine-chilling vocals, as well some reggae rock from Bambidi, and the ever popular Sambrose Automobile.
By Monday there were some croaky voices and red eyes, but the music was still pumping through the main street and it was declared party day! One of the best ingredients of the weekend was the opportunity for musicians to jam together and this provided some extra special performances.
In John's eyes, "Local musicians need a stage. We want to get them out of their bedrooms and provide them with stages. They would all like to be able to perform in public and bars and cafes provide a great atmosphere."
Throughout this long weekend the public were given access to a great program of music and a relaxing way to enjoy their holiday. In addition Ocean Grove confirmed that there is more to it than just football and surfing.
***check to see if the chicken shop has a website or a myspace****
4 stars out of 5
