And so we come to this year. We’ve already had some amazing musical performances in our 200 capacity venue above the rooftops of the port. In April Tony McManus played a beautiful guitar concert in which I even heard Erick Satie being transposed at one point. Then only a few weeks after the Egyptian oud player from Sydney, Joseph Tawadros, put us all under his spell in a night I will not forget. It was the first time he played his piece ‘Freo’ in the town the number is dedicated to, and the audience loved ever minute.
However best gig for the first half of 2011 goes to an unexpected contender… Miriam Lieberman’s performance in May at Kulcha with Ziggy playing along on his suite of African drums was pure excellence. Just the kind of thing that Kulcha does best.
But 2011 is only just getting into its stride. At the end of the month the Gyuto Monks of Tibet will be in Western Australia at the same time as the Dalai Lama. The monks are taking over Kulcha for a week, and the building will be open every day for chantings, teachings, meditations and the sand mandala creation process. Zarm are ending the month of June with a reggae explosion, so come down for a dance. And in July one of the biggest events of the Kulcha year takes place: Santiago de Cuba, a sell-out Cuban party to warm up winter.
I continue to ride a groove train overland, across country, and into culture.