Meet the Talent

Brad Hinds, as Head of Music for Oztix, spearheads a pivotal role in shaping Australia’s live music scene. His extensive experience and passion converge to support emerging artists and established acts alike, facilitating memorable live experiences nationwide. Brad started his career in the music industry in 2003 by slinging tour posters around the Gold Coast in exchange for tickets at his favourite local music space. This led to opportunities to work with several local music venues managing the marketing and publicity as well assisting with content and band bookings. In his current role as Head Of Music with provider Oztix, Brad engages daily with agents, venues, promoters and event managers across the country to provide insights and support.

Clint Hyndman is probably best known as the drummer for popular 90s band, Something For Kate. Clint’s journey from aspiring nurseryman to celebrated drummer began when he crossed paths with singer songwriter Paul Dempsey. Together, they launched the band in 1994, quickly gaining traction both locally and internationally after signing with Murmur Records, a Sony Music subsidiary. Despite SFK’s global success and numerous tours, Clint has always maintained ties to the Peninsula. Clint saw an opportunity to enrich Mornington’s nightlife, establishing Wowee Zowee, Loosie’s Diner & Bar, Slim’s Hot Pizza, and revitalizing Humdinger in Frankston.

The Knave’s career has seen him perform events, festivals and travel internationally. He’s an avid vinyl collector, musician and host of the “Five Miles To Midnight” radio show on WFMU. He’s previously been an announcer on PBS 106.7FM and Radio Active, and frequently performs around Melbourne. He is leader of The Elvis Big Band and is considered one of the best Vinyl DJ’s & a Professional Melbourne Wedding DJ. In addition, he is resident DJ and Elvis at The Altar Electric in Melbourne – Australia’s premier Vegas wedding chapel in addition to DJ for A Day On The Green, which see’s him touring Australia, playing to crowds of thousands with international touring acts.

Patrick Donavan, once the powerhouse of Music Victoria, now a Creative Consultant in the music industry. Patrick has worked in the media and the music industry in Melbourne for the last 25 years. As the Age newspaper’s first dedicated Music Writer and then CEO of Music Victoria. Now Patrick has joined the City of Port Phillip as Live Music Lead.

Gerard Schlaghecke is a prominent figure in the Australian music industry, renowned for his pivotal role in shaping Australia’s live music scene. With a career spanning over 3 decades, Gerard has curated and managed numerous iconic tours and events, bringing top international acts to Australian audiences. His strategic acumen and deep industry knowledge have solidified Frontier Touring’s reputation for delivering exceptional live music experiences across the country. Frontier Touring is one of the most respected, long-standing, and proactive concert promoters in Australasia. Formed in 1979, Frontier has had a fundamental role in entertaining Australians and New Zealanders across four decades.

Fascinated by cultural diversity, Asia has uncovered countless stories within the underground music community, especially in Indonesia and Melbourne’s punk-ska scene. As co-founder of Wildflower Artist Management, she manages and books bands, demonstrating her dedication to nurturing talent. With a camera in hand, she captures live performances, gaining recognition for her photography. As the band booker of Lulie Tavern, she hosts Luliepalooza, a music festival showcasing local and international acts. She advocates for inclusivity and gender equality in the music industry, leaving a lasting impact on Melbourne’s music community.

Owner & Founder of renowned independent record label Legless Records, Arron is a musician in several well-known punk/ Rock n Roll bands such as Stiff Richards, Split System and Doe St to name a few. Arron has played multiple local and international tours with various bands, including Golden Plains Festival (AUS), Sjock Fest (Belgium) and Binic Festival (France). Based out of Rye, Victoria, Arron has been involved in many facets of the music industry locally and abroad and is passionate about bringing local independent music to the global stage.

Sarah Guppy is a publicist and marketing professional. Sarah’s global perspective has gained from years of working both in Australia and the UK. Sarah has experience in producer, songwriter and artist management, marketing, publicity, radio servicing, and venue and event music programming. As the CCO at Gig Life Pro she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help create purposeful networking and educational opportunities for our curated global community. Sarah has been a speaker on panels at industry conferences and events including BIGSOUND (Brisbane), Face The Music (Melb), Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Stonnington Jazz Festival, APRA & Music Victoria Workshops (Melb),

PETE WHELAN (Cloud Solutions Architect)

Pete is a Cloud Solutions Architect at Program Productions & Program Music, currently focused on leveraging AI to identify and claim missing streaming income for rightful rights holders. With a rich background as a music agent for 20 years in London, UK, where he worked with some of the biggest names in UK garage and house, Pete relocated to Australia in 2015. There, he played a pivotal role in introducing RFID cashless technology to festivals and events across Australia and New Zealand. Pete’s experimentation with AI began in early 2021 when he started working with the initial models of GPT-3 (the precursor to ChatGPT). As a specialist in voice-activated assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa, he quickly recognized the potential of combining AI with voice technology. This led to the development of innovative applications, including a therapeutic chatbot named Sage, designed to help elderly individuals combat loneliness, and a medical AI called Florence, capable of diagnosing illnesses and assessing well-being based on vital statistics and medication regimens.

With a career spanning almost two decades, Dallas is a stand-out of her class, a charismatic force on stage, a fierce guitar slinger, and an almighty presence on the mic. Frasca has toured the world, clocking over 1000 shows with her band including 9 international tours and has managed to put a Top 30 Australian ARIA charting album under her belt, a #10 Aus album as well as a swag of awards including ‘Artist of the Year’ at the Independent Music Awards. Behind the scenes with over 20 yrs experience; Dallas wears many hats including; the spearhead for the world-first concept, A Hitch To The Sticks Festival where she takes the audience on the road with her across regional areas in Australia, songwriter, singer, guitarist, manager, APRA AMCOS + Music Victoria Ambassador, touring artist, booking agent, venue booker, industry mentor & lecturer at Collarts (Australian College of the Arts) & over the last 10yrs, her time is spent (in-between touring) in the N.T working with indigenous women from remote communities who are wanting to engage in music.

Having established herself as one of Australia’s most striking songwriters of recent years, Eliza Hull has proven the longevity of her music, and continued evolution with the release of her new EP ‘Here They Come’ which sees Hull work with ARIA Award-winning producer Pip Norman (Baker Boy, Missy Higgins) and feature co-writes with artists Gordi and Odette. The first single ‘Running Underwater’ was first performed by Hull during a powerful appearance on national TV on ABC’s Q&A. It’s the first song Hull has written about being disabled and living with condition ‘Charcot Marie Tooth’. The music video features disabled dancer roya the destroya and sparked many needed conversations about the lack of representation of disability in the music industry. The song is currently featured in Double J’s Best New Music. Hull is also an accessibility advocate and has supported the ARIAS, APRA AMCOS and Music Victoria to be more accessible and inclusive.

Heidi Luckhurst started her career in the entertainment industry as a musician in 2013. She studied at the Australian College of the Arts (Collarts) in 2015 which fostered a love for entertainment management and performing. She studied music business, tour management, content creation and consolidated her skills in all areas of the arts. In 2014 and 2015, she created and co-ordinated a street busking festival on the Mornington Peninsula, showcasing over 50 performances from all areas of the arts including dance, comedy, and music. She has had extensive experience in budget management and has worked with over 15 venues on the Peninsula booking live music. 2016-2021 Heidi worked with over 200 school students including migrants and children living with a disability teaching music, running concerts and mentoring them through creative writing and production.

MEET OUR SONGWRITING WORKSHOP TALENT

Her musical journey has taken her across the globe, performing at renowned festivals such as SXSW and Dinah Shore in America, L Fest in the UK and The Edinburgh. She has toured both nationally and internationally with P!NK, Pat Benatar, Steel Panther, and Australian legends such as the Baby Animals, The Superjesus, The Black Sorrows, Daryl Braithwaite, and Rose Tattoo. She was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition and composed a song for Equestrian Australia, which was featured during the London Olympics.

Steve’s multi award winning songwriting, heavily influenced by the Beatles, is eclectic, exploratory and thought provoking. Like his idols, his work is hard to categorise – blues, pop, rock, folk – he does it all and more. His songs have been recorded and performed by the likes of John Farnham and Mike Brady. Steve has also been recorded on many albums, including Glenn Shorrock’s ‘Meanwhile’, Jim Keays’ ‘Resonator’ and Russell Morris’ ‘Sharkmouth’. He’s a unique, amazing and accomplished vocalist and guitarist and his performance will leave you wanting to hear more.

Rock Academy is a music initiative developed specifically for teenagers, providing a supportive and inspiring environment where young musicians can learn, grow, and express themselves through the power of music. Music industry icon Glenn Reither will be running the workshop. Glenn is the keys/saxophonist for the Jon Stevens Band and long-term member of international success story, Icehouse. 

MORE ABOUT GLENN REITHER

Glenn Reither has been a professional musician and composer for over 40 years. He toured the USA with Little River Band for 5 years and wrote several songs that feature on their studio albums. He was a member of the iconic Australian band Icehouse for 15 years and performed at their induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Glenn currently tours extensively with Jon Stevens (Noiseworks, INXS).He has performed nationally and internationally with artists including Daryl Braithwaite, Shannon Noll, Richard Clapton, Michael Spiby (The Badloves), Jack Jones, Guy Sebastian, Mark Gable (Choirboys), The Chantoozies, James Freud (The Models), Russell Morris, Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea) and Tim Rogers (You Am I). Glenn has composed music for many advertising campaigns including for The Australian Open and The Royal Melbourne Show. His music library is used extensively around the world including for the launch of the new Samsung tablet in South Korea.

“Possibly the gnarliest thing to come out of Rye since ergot poisoning”. Formed some 5 years ago on the beaches of Rye, Stiff Richards are 3 albums in and some 50 tours deep – playing savage rock and roll with a whole heap of grind.

Vocals – Wolfgang Buckley
Guitar – Arron Mawson
Guitar – Tim Garrard
Bass – Raf Heale
Drums – Lochie Cavigan

Icky Sitch is a powerhouse four-piece rock and roll band doing the business live and in the studio. Fronted by the magnetic duo of Finn Swayn (Vocals/Bass) and Dylan Walker (Vocals/Keys) and backed by James Nougher’s guitar and Bon Short on drums. Icky Sitch have been smashing stages for the past four years and have become a watertight live band with a cache of amazing original songs. Their Album, Mrs Daisy’s Sweet & Sour is a blend of classic rock and roll, soulful storytelling.

Spud Thompson is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, with a cheeky and emotive style that runs the gamut of human experience. His work encompasses a wide range of musical genres, from simple ballads and folk songs to sophisticated electronica and vintage rhythm and blues. Surrounded by the natural beauty of beaches and bushland, has instilled in him a deep understanding of the human condition, and this is reflected in the diverse range of emotions and feelings that he brings to his music. He is an artist of great depth and nuance, and one who is always striving to grow and evolve in his craft.

The moody, modal and timeless quality of Celtic music is brought to life by SugaTree.The stars aligned for Celtic folk pop trio SugaTree when Natalie Parker and Ryan Pentland approached musician and producer Yanni Dellaportas to help record some songs. Blending folk, pop and celtic genres with their own unique musical styles, Natalie, Ryan and Yanni come together as SugaTree to create something new and maybe a little different. With foot stomping guitar and percussion, memorable mandolin, haunting Irish whistle and catchy, heartfelt harmonies – SugaTree will leave you wanting more.

EMMIE LI

Local Emmie Li, an Australian-Taiwanese pop singer/songwriter, crafts meaningful, emotional, and heartfelt music that invites listeners to dance, sing along, and connect. Through her touching lyrics and unique, soft yet powerful voice, she shares her authentic, honest, and raw emotions and experiences. Her songs consistently deliver empowering messages that resonate with her audience.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGIONAL TOURISM 

RECORD LABELS

Naomi & Maxon – Sandhill Records

YOUTH PROGRAMS & MUSIC SCHOOLS

Alan Long – The Rock Academy
Cheryl Beattie – The Music Industry
Anna Tero – Resonance Vocal Studio

MUSICIANS

Dan Palamara 
Marcelle Knapp (MARCELLE)
Chris Hoffmann 
Maxon 
Joshua Batten 
Tiana Luculano 
Chris Monnier 

MIXED TABLE

Jason Glanz – The Velvet Lounge + Eagle Ridge + Peninsula Beer Garden

Sally Carter – Sally’s Ukuele

MORNINGTON PENINSULA SHIRE

IMPAKT FREEZA (Youth)

MP Business (Economic Development)

MP Music Branding (Arts & Culture)

MP Event Permitting (Events)

MP Shire Halls & Music Venues