Hume Conservatorium staff and students will soon hit the Goulburn Performing Arts Centre stage to raise money to replace the Rock Con roof.
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The much-loved building that hosts Hume Con's contemporary music students, recording equipment and rehearsal rooms has been damaged through time and the most recent storm season. Funds raised from this event will go to the repair and maintenance of the old roof, keeping students dry.
Garth Prentice, the powerhouse vocal and head of contemporary music at Hume Conservatorium leads an 11-piece band through The Commitments Show, a tribute to Roddy Doyle's international bestseller and the hit 1991 movie The Commitments.
"The Commitments have been part of my musical journey from the very start," Garth said.
"My parents had the album and I would listen to it on car rides and be absolutely obsessed with the vocal parts. It was a real shock when I found out that my favourite band was not actually a real band but one made up for the soundtrack of a movie.
"But I loved the music and I loved the movie. When I saw struggling musicians trying to put a big band together I thought they were just like me. The soundtrack became that of my car trips with my bands and we would all sing along to 'destination anywhere,' just like they did on the big screen.
"It is amazing to me that these songs from the '50s and '60s inspired this movie and continue to inspire musicians like me to this day. The Commitments vocals are very difficult and it took me a long time to be able to sing with so much power and soul and every gig I do, the sound of this album is in the back of my mind."
The soundtrack features an array of soul hits from the '60s including songs by Al Green, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding and will be performed by some of the most talented musicians in Goulburn.
The line-up is a big one including Garth Prentice (lead vocal), Keva Abotomey (backing vocal), Corbey-Lea Will and Lou Wurth (both backing vocals), Julian Paviour (trumpet), Ambria White (saxophone), Andrew Picker (organ), Mike Baker (keyboard), Liam King (guitar), John Burgess (bass guitar) and Jasper Shields (drums).
These outstanding musicians will perform the complete soundtrack from this jukebox musical, celebrating the strength of Soul music and community. It will be the biggest and best Soul performance Goulburn has ever experienced.
"It is a dream come true to be able to perform this sound track with a live band, hearing the arrangements just like they were on those car trips on my way to my first gigs," Garth said.
There will also be guest performances from Young Colts frontman, Jordi Woods, local live music legend, Richard Joyce, Yass Music Club scholarship holder, Eden Robinson blasting out the Bari Sax, and Goulburn blues men, Midnight Mojo opening the performance with a lightning hit of bonus tracks.
In the role of GOD, the narrator will be Eliott Ross, giving an air of authenticity to the performance in the comedy style of the original hit movie.
This massive show is jam-packed with local talent and is raising money for a worthwhile cause. It will be sure to raise the roof, and you can too by supporting this Hume Con fundraiser.
The show begins at 7.30pm on Friday, June 7 at Goulburn Performing Arts Centre. For tickets visit: www.goulburnpac.com.au/Events-directory/Hume-Con-Commitments-Show
- Giselle Newbury is the Hume Conservatorium's outreach and communications manager.
