Making Music
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18 August

Do we have the most out of date music website in Australia?

Since our last entry we have recorded a Christmas album, travelled and performed around the UK and left our eldest daughter, Maggie, behind to keep on learning new songs.

Give us a few weeks and we'll put more news here and some samples from the upcoming Christmas album.

Cheers James

4 November
We've just returned to earth after another Maldon Folk Festival. Always one our favourite small festivals made even better this year by the beautiful weather that was just nudging being too hot after a few years of rain, dust, wind and cold.

We've had another busy few months with a huge school singing project in Wangaratta (200 students from eleven schools), Roses Gap music camp in the Grampians, Rainmakers in Warracknabeal (where the van broke down), the Gorgeous Voices Festival in Bendigo and a lovely little singing project in Baringhup where they are trying to revive the Loddon River after a decade of drought.

Our other big break through is buying a video camera and sorting out how to get tings into 'Youtube'. So here are links for some recent performances as well as a beautiful old clip that we made in 2006.

Avila at the Bendigo Folk Club during Gorgeous Voices Festival Oct 2009

The Travelling Song written by Jane and performed in Warracknabeal Oct 2009

Marimba Flamenca written by Alice Gomez performed by Maggie at Castlemaine High School Oct 2009

One Voice A beautiful Wailin Jennys song performed in 'The Cathedral' at the Purnululu National Park June 2006

15 September
More than six months has passed since we last did anything to this webpage. A true reflection of how busy we've been.
Since then we have taught some fantastic songs at the Castlemaine State, Port Fairy and the National Folk Festivals, taken a group down to sing in the Melbourne Milenium Chorus and done a mass of singing in primary schools. We are only a couple of days away from performance at our latest big community music project in Wangaratta. We have 200 students from 11 schools in the district singing at the opening of their spiffing new performing arts centre. Huge fun!
James has also had the privelege of co-ordinating the creation of a new integration choir for people with disadvantage in Bendigo. Think 'The Choir Of Hard Knocks', only better.(We think)

The Rainmakers have also had busy time with some lovely concerts in Canberra, Castlemaine, Torqay, Corowa and many others.
Coming up we have gigs in
Warracknabeal 10th Oct ,
Gorgeous Voices Festival Bendigo 17th Oct
Maldon Folk Festival 30th Oct - 2nd Nov
Contact us if you need any more detailed information about thse gigs.

2 March
The 2009 Castlemaine State Festival is nearly upon us and we have music to learn and things to organise. If you are a member of the 'Chat Warblers', 'The Acafellas', the 'Festival Youth Choir' or the 'Castlemaine Peace Choir' then the music you are probably looking for is here.

1 December

The Rainmakers new album,"Singing Up A Storm", is finished and we're really looking forward to launching it in Castlemaine and Melbourne over the next couple of weeks. We recorded all the tracks at home but mixed at a new studio facility here in Castlemaine, 'Instramental', with Aria award winning engineer Mickey Levis. We then mastered it at Dex audio in Melbourne.

We are really pleased with the result and were thrilled to have an opportunity to travel around New Zealand with it for 3 weeks during September and October. We had eleven concerts in all from Oamaru in the South to Auckland in the North. Our performing muscles got strong and now we are busting to do some gigs back home.

Castlemaine CD launch: Nov 7 at the Mt Alexander Golf Club, was a fantastic night with a huge crowd and we even managed to pull off 28 ml of rain just for the occasion.

Melbourne CD launch: Nov 8 at The Boite, Mark St. Hall, Nth Fitzroy. 8pm.

We are sharing this concert with Rod Waterman and Doug DeVries which is a bit of a thrill as they are two of Australia's finest musicians playing Brazilian music and more on recorder and guitar.

Click here for audio samples, more information about the album and performing dates.