The dictionary defines serendipity as ‘the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident’, and that’s exactly what happened to me last week. I was flicking through the local paper on Thursday to see if the ads I’d put in for work made it, and the entertainment section slides out onto my desk with Ash Grunwald on the cover. Now I’m a MASSIVE Ash fan, his take on classic blues tunes as well as his original stuff is right up my alley, and his live shows are simply amazing. Quite simply he’s my favourite muso. A quick check of the guide reveals he’s playing just up the road in Windsor on Saturday night – fuck yeh! Needless to say I was right onto the blower, credit card in hand, to grab some tickets!
The venue was Vault 146 in Windsor (www.vault146.com.au), which I’d never heard of before. The place is an old bank, the original vault is behind the bar and is now used as a wine cellar! I’ve got to say I scoffed a little when I read on their website where they claimed they are fast becoming one of western Sydney’s premier live music venues. I mean that’s a pretty big kind of call to make. I was more impressed with their philosophy on food though, everything is cooked from local produce which is delivered daily – that means fresh in season ingredients and cash for local farmers. Very cool.
Well I’m stoked to say the venue more than lived up to their claims. The tickets I got included mains, and by luck we scored a table right at the front near the stage! Service was good, atmosphere was great, and the food was fantastic! My steak was perfectly cooked and the sauce on it was so good I struggled not to lick the plate clean. My girl got some chicken and it was tender and succulent and had a great flavour to it. The crème brulee for desert was a winner too! In terms of a gig venue it was great, small enough to feel intimate but big enough to get a great atmosphere. One of westernSydney’s premier live music venues? You fucking betchya! I’m a fan, and I’ll be back for sure.
I’ve found support acts are always hit and miss. So when Ashleigh Mannix took to the stage, well I wasn’t sure what to expect. What we got was an awesome solo artist with catchy acoustic guitar riffs and a voice like the American Honey bourbon I’m sipping right now – silky smooth, but with an undeniable kick which takes your breath away. She had a great stage presence and won over the crowd from the first song – no easy feat for a support act. If you like your music with a bit of a folk/roots vibe to it, check her music out at www.myspace.com/ashleighmannix. She impressed me enough I handed over some cash for a CD, so yeh I liked it.
So with Ashleigh having made a bunch of new fans, it was time for Ash to take the stage. I love the way an Ash gig starts. He takes up his place on his stompbox (imagine a timber crate with a drum kick pedal hooked up to it), grabs a guitar and slowly starts jamming, getting his rhythm and getting into his groove. Every one of his gigs I’ve been to (and there’s been a few!) has been different. Some hark more to a traditional blues sound, some to more of rock vibe, and some just have an undeniable groove to them that makes you want to dance. He never has a set list, he just plays what feels right at the time. And last night it was blues. Glorious foot-stomping-rocking-blues.
Now a proper journalist would rattle off the set list in order, and make intellectual comments about the dynamic evolution of blues music. Well I’m not a journo. I’ve got to say my priority was knocking back a few bourbon and cokes and immersing myself in the music, not writing down song titles in a notepad!
Having said that, I paid enough attention to remember some of the songs. The Ash originals such as Skywriter, the Dolphin Song, Take the Drop, and Walking all went down a hit. A definite highlight of the night was when Ashleigh Mannix came back on stage to provide back up vocals for Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers), with Ash doing his signature jazz-style jamming throughout the song. They complimented each other fantastically and I really hope they record it! Another highlight was Rosie, which is an old prison work song. No guitar this time, just Ash slapping his stompbox by hand and belting out the vocals with raw emotion and power. Capping off the set were some stomping covers, such as Headin Out West (Tom Waits) and finally Smokestack Lightnin (Howlin’ Wolf), which was the encore piece. Fucking aaaaawesome!
And with that we spilled out into the cold and foggy streets of Windsor to find our way home, ears ringin and souls buzzin. So what was that definition for serendipity again? ‘The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident’ – yeh, that pretty much describes the whole night. Now to check out what other gigs are on at The Vault and where else Ashleigh Mannix is playing…
Subnote: Okay so I’ve written this whole post and quite simply words do a piss poor job of capturing a muso like Ash. So I’ve included some youtube clips below so you get a taste of his style. If you like it do yourself a favour and check out his upcoming gigs on www.ashgrunwald.com and get your ass front of stage, you won’t be disappointed.
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