Tonight is the opening night for ‘Year is Over’ at the Black&Blue Gallery (Redfern)

This is a group show by all of the various artists that have shown at the gallery throughout 07/08.  They will all be exhibiting together to celebrate B&B’s first birthday:

Thomas Jeppe, Tristan Ceddia, Conor O’brien, Amanda Maxwell, Erin Forsyth, Josh Raymond, Julia Schauenburg, Lachlan Anthony, David Withers, Leah Fraser, Greg Perano, Raquel Welch, Emily Hunt, Jordana Maisie & Nathan Gray

Curated by Athalie Moedjoko

Year is Over - Group Show
Black & Blue Gallery, 302/267-271 Cleveland Street Redfern NSW 2016
November 20 - December 7

More info? Click here.

We ‘really’ hope the weather holds out for this one!  Come and join us (and quite a few others we should imagine) down at Vaucluse House this Sunday for Jazz in the Garden.

Sit under a starlit sky and listen to the young blood of Australian jazz talent in the picturesque surrounds of this harbourside estate. Bring a rug, pack a picnic or take advantage of the selection of food available and a range of wines from the Angove Wine Bar on sale throughout the evening.

  6pm - KRISTIN BERARDI with JAZZGROOVE MOTHERSHIP ORCHESTRA
Formed in 2003 to present world class performances of jazz orchestral music and to further develop jazz orchestra and big band as an art form, the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra is the most consolidated assemblage of respected young improvising talent in Australia and was nominated as Australian Jazz Ensemble of the Year in 2006 & 2007. The orchestra is joined by the exquisite vocalist Kristin Berardi, winner of the 2006 Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition and the Freedman Jazz award, 2007.

7pm - ELIXIR featuring KATIE NOONAN
Praised for her mesmerising stage presence and classically trained voice, Katie has won cult status in Australia, topping both the pop and jazz charts. Her jazz/folk ensemble ELIXIR, featuring Stephen Magnusson on guitar (Melbourne) and Zac Hurren on saxophones (Brisbane), performs a selection of their original material and also new songs from Katie’s highly anticipated brand new album Blackbird - the music of Lennon and McCartney. Katie has just returned from recording this album in New York with jazz legends Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Ron Carter and Lewis Nash.

  8pm - CSB (CRUSTY SUITCASE BAND)
A heady cook-up of horns, drums and old-school instrumentation, CSB is the brainchild of two of Sydney’s finest musos, percussion maverick Ben Walsh and jazz legend Matt Ottington. Inspired by powerhouse horns and drums from around the globe, funkified hip hop, swing/jazz harmonies and phat breaks, CSB serves up originals to get your booty shaking.

Jazz in the Garden
When: sunday 23rd November
Where: Vaucluse House
Time:  6pm - 9pm
Entry: General $30 Conc/Members $25 Family $85

NOTE: If you’re thinking about purchasing tickets for this, purchase them ASAP. They are selling fast!

More info & ticket purchase - click here.

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Tell Sydney what you think about Vaucluse House here.
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For more information contact Noi Ninubon on 0417 331 190.

Thai Food Festival
When: Sunday 23rd November
Where: Darling Harbour (Tumbalong Park)
Time: 10am - 6pm
Entry: FREE!

This joint event will be held on Sunday 23 November at the beginning of AIDS Awareness Week and in the lead up to World AIDS Day (Monday 1 December), to raise money for men, women and children living with HIV.

Proudly supported by the Botanic Gardens Trust, the Walk for AIDS is a two kilometre course through the stunning Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, beginning and ending at the Domain, starting 11am and running through until 2pm. Australian journalist Ita Buttrose, TV personality Deborah Hutton and comedian Jackie Loeb will be among the many supporters attending this celebratory event.

“We’re encouraging as many people to join us walking through Sydney’s iconic Gardens in celebration of life and as a precious reminder of the devastating impact that HIV has had on so many people in NSW,” said Bev Lange, CEO of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation. “It will be a visual symbol of support for people directly disadvantaged by this chronic illness, many of whom live in poverty.”

HIV isn’t going away. There are now more people living with HIV (PLWH) than at any other time and with greater life expectancy. As the number of those living with HIV continues to grow, so do the challenges. It is estimated almost 16,000 people are now living with HIV in Australia, 10,000 of whom live in NSW. Since 2001, the total number of people being infected by HIV in Australia has increased by around 5% each year.

To register please call 1800 651 011.

Walk For AIDS
Sunday 23 November 2008
11am-2pm
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Registration fee: $20 via VISA or MC transaction.
For other payment options call 1800 651 011

More info? Click here.

If you haven’t already had a chance to check out some of the activites taking place in Parramatta for the Riverbeats festival you’ve got until this Sunday (23rd November) to catch the last couple of events.  There’s been some great reviews for this festival so far and we have no doubt that the last couple of events will continue to pull in the big thumbs up!

CURRENT: SCULPTURE PROJECTS IN THE RIVER CITY

Date:      7th Nov 2008 - 23rd Nov 2008
Venue:   Along the riverbank and throughout Parramatta city
Cost:      Free

Current, is an outdoor exhibition hosting an impressive 15 contemporary artists, showcasing 13 projects including many new site-specific works, located along the riverbank and throughout the City.

Current will enliven the City by bring together the work of emerging and established artists, offering multiple viewpoints and perspectives of the river and environmental themes of the changing urban and natural environment.

Connect with the city as you stroll through its laneways, streets, buildings and parks on the Current sculpture journey.

More info? Click here.

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DRIFT BAR: HOT RIVER SOUNDS

Date:      7th Nov 2008 - 23rd Nov 2008
Time:     5:00pm - 10:00pm
Venue:   The Geo Dome -Located on the Parramatta Riverbank Between Wilde Street Bridge and the Ferry Terminal
Cost:      Tickets: $10 + booking fee (unless otherwise specified).

Part fringe bar, part ‘after-5 zone’, Drift bar is the place to hang out, chill and enjoy the hottest and coolest entertainment the city has to offer. Housed in a giant geo-dome spectacularly located on the tranquil banks of the Parramatta River, Drift bar is a relaxed, cool and inspired vibe.

Running for a full two weeks, Drift bar is the place to meet up, discuss the day and ‘drift’ into the evening.

Drift with it’s dynamic program of cutting edge film, and music across a wide range of musical genres, with artists chosen from the top of their scene, will undoubtedly mix things up in Parramatta this November.

Drift is presented in association with Fbi Radio and the Cultural Arts Collective.

Tickets are limited to 150 per night.  Book to avoid disappointment.

More info? Click here.

It’s on again this coming Friday.  Hopefully it won’t get washed away in the rain this time!  Coupled with the markets, flowing food and beer, this Friday’s enterainment is provided by the awesome sounds of:

The Ray Mann Three

Combining the groove of R&B with pop melody and the values of a traditional singer-songwriter, The Ray Mann Three’s soulful, stripped-back sound draws enthusiastic live audiences. The band’s self-titled debut album exemplifies their passion and commitment to realising their dream.”Urban, neo-soul, a dash of funk, lots of spunk with a truly fresh spirit… The Ray Mann Three have the ability to propel you into a higher sphere allowing your soul and intellect to waltz into the lofty clouds of the unique.” - Drum Media

Andy Bull

The androgynous voice of 23-year-old Sydney-based singer, songwriter and piano player Andy Bull has been likened to a unique mixture of Alicia Keys, Mika, Justine Timberlake and Elton John.”Has a touch of the Mika about him, what with the sincere, high pitched voice and a shared love for tinkling the ivories. Bull assures us of influences plucked from the big wide world of pop, soul, rhythm and blues.” - Time Out

Markets By Moonlight
Friday 21st Novemeber. Music from 6pm
Free Entry

More info? Click here.

In 1776, with its American colonies fighting for independence and its jails overflowing, the British government began converting old ships into floating prisons or ‘hulks’ to house convicts sentenced to transportation.Convict hulks is the first comprehensive exhibition recalling the harsh but fascinating history of convict hulks in Britain and its colonies, including New South Wales. It features more than 600 rare artefacts recovered from beneath the mooring site of the Dromedary hulk in Bermuda, brought to Australia just for this exhibition.

Discover what it was like on a prison ship. Hear stories of convicts’ lives. Step inside a re-created punishment box. Try on some ankle irons. Experience sights and sounds that evoke the daily lives of the hulks’ wretched human cargo.

For more information about the Dromedary prison hulk, its excavation and the artefacts discovered go to http://convicthulks.com

Convict Hulks - Life on the prison ships
Hyde Park Barracks Museum
Daily 9.30am – 5.00pm
Finishes Sunday 30 May, 2010 (a little while yet!)

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Tell Sydney what you think about the Hyde Park Barracks Museum here.
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Tell Sydney what you think of China Heights here.
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Starting from Monday 10th November, Planet Ark is hosting National Recycling Week.   To start off the week a Swap Party is being held in Martin Place on Monday afternoon.

This is a great initiative to help educate people on the benefits of recycling as well as education on how to recycle properly.

The Swap Party will run from 12.30 to 1.30.  The idea is, you take along 3 easy-to-carry items (of a moderate quality) that you would like to swap for something else.  Items might include books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, bric-a-brac etc.  i.e. Don’t think about dragging your banged up washing machine or falling apart lawn mower down there

Simple exchange your items for tokens and then browse, choose, swap and enjoy.  If two people want the same item, the decision will be made by a sudden-death game of rock, paper, scissors. Yes, we are serious.

Recycling has never been so much fun!

Recycling Collections
Do your part for National Recycling Week by bringing in old mobile phones, printer cartridges, batteries and eye glasses for recycling at collection stations located near Martin Place station on the day.

This is a free event run by the City of Sydney and the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation.

National Recycling Week - Swap Party
Monday 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Martin Place, CBD
Entry is Free

For more information check out the Planet Ark site here

Presented by The Newtown Neighbourhood Centre the Newtown Festival is a fundraiser for the Centre’s services for the disadvantaged in the community.

So please remember, help YOUR community by giving generously to the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre coin collectors at the festival entrances.

The Newtown Festival is a rare and wonderful place where community groups, environmental groups, local residents and the broader community can come together in one place for one day and celebrate diversity and once again experience the true sense of ‘community’.

Newtown festival is without a doubt firmly established as one of Sydney’s largest and premier festivals.

Expect a full on day of fun, laughter, music and entertainment for all of the family.

Newtown Festival
Sunday 9th November
Camperdown Memorial Park
Corner of  Lennox and Australia Street, Newtown
9.30am - 6pm

Entry is by gold coin donation