Music under a Harvester Moon

The Bottleneck Guitar evening that starts the 2014 Festival of Glass on 15 February has an added attraction - an exhibition of guitar slides in all their variety.

Some slides on a 'resonator' guitar

The evening marks the second year of a partnership between the Festival of Glass and Harvester Moon Cafe, 2320 Portarlington Road - so it's nearly a tradition! Dinner and music is $65.00 per person; the music alone is $25. Dinner starts at 7.00pm; the music starts at 8.00pm. Bookings essential: (03) 5259 3200.

The fine wining and dining
This comes as a 3-course dinner:
Starter: Tomato, basil & bocconcini bruschetta
Mains: Marinated chicken breast with potato rosti, asparagus and hollandaise sauce 
            OR
            Minute steak with red wine sauce, shoestring fries and salad
Dessert: Chocolate and ricotta panettone pudding.
(N.B. Vegetarian and gluten-feee options are available.)

The fine music
... is courtesy of Mr. Black and Blue, aka Michael Pollitt and friends

(www.mrblackandblues.com). In 2013, the band recorded an album with Chris Wilson 'Blow These tracks: live on the Blues Train' - on the Blues Train, out of Queenscliff.

A selection of tracks from their 2012 album 'The Morning Light' is on their MySpace page:
https://myspace.com/mrblackandblues/music/songs
It includes several fine slide guitar tracks - and a version of 'Fever' that would turn Peggy Lee green with jealousy!

The very fine glass collectibles
These are donated by exhibitors at the Glass Expo - the centrepiece of the 2014 Festival of Glass - which runs all day Sunday 16 February at Christan College, 40 Collins Street, Drysdale. Many of the exhibitors have won awards for their work and the auction is a chance to  buy award-winning glass art at very reasonable prices. Successful bidders at last year's auction went away with some real bargains!

.... and the exhibition of guitar slides
Davis Music Centre - the oldest music shop in Australia (est. 1901) - is supporting the 2014 Festival of Glass by presenting an exhibition of guitar slides as part of the evening of bottleneck guitar. Guitarists use slides to ... well ... slide between notes, creating a continuous sound, rather than a series of distinct notes. The earliest slides were used by blues singers in America's deep south and were literally bottlenecks - the broken-off necks of bottles. Hence the connection with the Festival of Glass.  Subsequently, guitarists have made slides from various materials, including metal, plastic or resin.

Here are some examples of bottleneck guitar playing:
Bob Brozman playing Highway 49 Blues using a glass bottleneck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzfgagmrBk&feature=related
 
Roy Rogers playing Walkin' Blues using a plastic bottleneck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW08Rc802MQ

Bonnie Rait (with John Lee Hooker) playing I'm in the mood using a resin bottleneck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQxgyVydKy8&feature=related