John Shand Posts

August 19, 2015 / Features - Archive

Bruce Cale does not just live in Katoomba, he plays the Mountains in his music. The connection, after all, could not be deeper. He was born in Leura and grew up in Katoomba where, as a child, he took violin lessons above a shop on the main street – a…

August 19, 2015 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Hayes Theatre, August 12 Besides being a master class in how to act, sing, interpret and create, Terence McNally’s splendid vision of an aging Maria Callas offers a swift doctorate in sarcasm, scorn, resentment and venom. But then, as she says at the end, “If I have seemed harsh, it…

August 18, 2015 / Concert Reviews - Archive

The Vanguard, August 9 Both Marc Ribot’s guitars look well-used and old – probably older than they are, like rugby forwards who look 40 when they are 20. They get a bit more roughed up each time he plays them, because Ribot doesn’t go much for genteel music. He likes…