On this episode Jack is joined by Lonnie Lee, Australian rock and roll pioneer.

Lonnie grew up in a time before rock and roll, when artists like Johnny Ray and Nat King Cole ruled the airwaves. But everything changed in 1955 when he first heard Bill Haley and from that point onward rock and roll was his passion. In 1957, Lonnie entered a competition setting out to find “Australia’s Elvis” and he won. From there, his career began to take off, getting gigs around Sydney and doing other various competitions. After taking a year out of music in 1958 due to a car accident, Lonnie made his musical comeback in 1959.

Lonnie came to record through promoter Lee Gordon, who signed Lonnie to the Leedon label. During his first session, he didn’t have a B-side for his debut single, so in the studio he and Johnny O’Keefe penned Ain’t It So in about 20 minutes. It would become Lonnie’s first hit, making it into the top ten on the Sydney charts in late 1959. Through the early '60s, Lonnie would have a string of other hits including Starlight Starbright and I Found a New Love.

More recently, Lonnie has just released his first book in a planned set of four on his life — the first book in the series Almost a Star — and goes into his early life before his success in rock and roll.

Jack phoned Lonnie to talk about his early musical memories, the impact Johnny Ray had on him, life pre-rock and roll, hearing Bill Haley and Elvis for the first time, his memories of winning a competition in 1957 that was looking for Australia’s Elvis, his work throughout 1957, the car accident he had in late 1957, his time as a jackaroo in 1958, what it was like being isolated from rock and roll during most of 1958, his comeback to music in 1959, how he came to be signed to the Leedon label, how Ain’t It So came to be, the success he had throughout the late '50s and early '60s, how he came to be the first Aussie artist to have a full-colour album cover, his 2019 album Back to Base X, and his new book Almost a Star.

"So he (a friend of Lonnie's) went and bought this record and of course it was 'Rock Around the Clock' and it was just amazing — hearing this song was just... like a blind person seeing for the first time." – Lonnie Lee on this episode of Vinyl Vibe, talking about hearing rock and roll for the first time.

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins. 

On this episode Jack is joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://lonnielee.com/official/">Lonnie Lee</a>, Australian rock and roll pioneer.
Lonnie grew up in a time before rock and roll, when artists like Johnny Ray and Nat King Cole ruled the airwaves. But everything changed in 1955 when he first heard Bill Haley and from that point onward rock and roll was his passion. In 1957, Lonnie entered a competition setting out to find &ldquo;Australia&rsquo;s Elvis&rdquo; and he won. From there, his career began to take off, getting gigs around Sydney and doing other various competitions. After taking a year out of music in 1958 due to a car accident, Lonnie made his musical comeback in 1959.
Lonnie came to record through promoter Lee Gordon, who signed Lonnie to the Leedon label. During his first session, he didn&rsquo;t have a B-side for his debut single, so in the studio he and Johnny O&rsquo;Keefe penned&nbsp;Ain&rsquo;t It So&nbsp;in about 20 minutes. It would become Lonnie&rsquo;s first hit, making it into the top ten on the Sydney charts in late 1959. Through the early '60s, Lonnie would have a string of other hits including&nbsp;Starlight Starbright&nbsp;and&nbsp;I Found a New Love.
More recently, Lonnie has just released his first book in a planned set of four on his life &mdash; the first book in the series&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Almost-Star-Book-Lonnie-Lee-ebook/dp/B0FCXY4D55">Almost a Star</a>&nbsp;&mdash; and goes into his early life before his success in rock and roll.
Jack phoned Lonnie to talk about his early musical memories, the impact Johnny Ray had on him, life pre-rock and roll, hearing Bill Haley and Elvis for the first time, his memories of winning a competition in 1957 that was looking for Australia&rsquo;s Elvis, his work throughout 1957, the car accident he had in late 1957, his time as a jackaroo in 1958, what it was like being isolated from rock and roll during most of 1958, his comeback to music in 1959, how he came to be signed to the Leedon label, how&nbsp;Ain&rsquo;t It So&nbsp;came to be, the success he had throughout the late '50s and early '60s, how he came to be the first Aussie artist to have a full-colour album cover, his 2019 album&nbsp;Back to Base X, and his new book&nbsp;Almost a Star.
"So he (a friend of Lonnie's) went and bought this record and of course it was 'Rock Around the Clock' and it was just amazing &mdash; hearing this song was just... like a blind person seeing for the first time."&nbsp;&ndash; Lonnie Lee on this episode of&nbsp;Vinyl Vibe, talking about hearing rock and roll for the first time.
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.&nbsp;

Lonnie Lee - Australian Rock and Roll Pioneer

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes Jack is joined by founder of Ariel, Mike Rudd.

In 1973, Mike’s band Spectrum came to an end shortly after the recording of their 4th studio album, Testimonial. Soon after this, Mike and Spectrum’s bass player Bill Putt were joined by Tamam Shud band members Tim Gaze and Nigel McAra, forming Ariel in the same year. Over the course of three months, Mike would write the band’s first album, A Strange Fantastic Dream. 

Following the release of the band’s first album in late 1973, Tim Gaze and Nigel Macara left the band. Although this devastated Mike at the time, it allowed him to take on the ambitious creative project that was The Jellabad Mutant Rock opera album. Over the course of 1974, this would be Mike and the band’s main project. During the year, the band had interest from EMI in the UK and was invited to record at Abbey Road Studios. However, once The Jellabad Mutant had been demoed, EMI Australia outright rejected it. This led to the band having to rely on material from the Spectrum days and the few songs Mike could write in the short amount of time leading up to recording in the UK.

The Rock and Roll Scars album would be recorded at Abbey Studios and would feature a re-recording of Spectrum’s number 1 hit I’ll Be Gone. They would return to Australia in early 1975 and play the last Sunbury festival. 

Ariel would continue to make music until their last gig in August 1977 at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne. 

Jack called Mike to talk about the formation of Ariel, the writing of A Strange Fantastic Dream, how the album pushed the boundaries of songwriting, the controversy surrounding some  of the songs on Strange Fantastic Dream, playing a tour with Gary Glitter, the demoing of The Jellabad Mutant, how EMI's rejection of The Jellabad Mutant impact the band when they went to the UK to record, recording at Abbey Road Studios, playing at the '75 Sunbury festival, and the band's last gig in 1977 at the Dallas Brooks Hall. 

"The opportunity to actually demo stuff was pretty remote in those days. I think I had a tape recorder, but that was it. Quite often, they were just dubbed onto a cassette, and the band expanded on that—and whatever we ended up with was Ariel" - Mike Rudd on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about finding the Ariel sound

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes Jack is joined by founder of Ariel, Mike Rudd.
In 1973, Mike&rsquo;s band Spectrum came to an end shortly after the recording of their 4th studio album,&nbsp;Testimonial. Soon after this, Mike and Spectrum&rsquo;s bass player Bill Putt were joined by Tamam Shud band members Tim Gaze and Nigel McAra, forming Ariel in the same year. Over the course of three months, Mike would write the band&rsquo;s first album, A Strange Fantastic Dream.&nbsp;
Following the release of the band&rsquo;s first album&nbsp;in late 1973, Tim Gaze and Nigel Macara left the band. Although this devastated Mike at the time, it allowed him to take on the ambitious creative project that was The Jellabad Mutant Rock opera album. Over the course of 1974, this would be Mike and the band&rsquo;s main project. During the year, the band had interest from EMI in the UK and was invited to record at Abbey Road Studios. However, once&nbsp;The Jellabad Mutant had been demoed, EMI Australia outright rejected it.&nbsp;This led to the band having to rely on material from the Spectrum days and the few songs Mike could write in the short amount of time leading up to recording in the UK.
The&nbsp;Rock and Roll Scars album would be recorded at Abbey Studios and would feature a re-recording of Spectrum&rsquo;s number 1 hit I&rsquo;ll Be Gone. They would return to Australia in early 1975 and play the last Sunbury festival.&nbsp;
Ariel would continue to make music until their last gig in August 1977 at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne.&nbsp;
Jack called Mike to talk about the formation of Ariel, the writing of A Strange Fantastic Dream, how the album pushed the boundaries of songwriting, the controversy surrounding some&nbsp; of the songs on Strange Fantastic Dream, playing a tour with Gary Glitter, the demoing of The Jellabad Mutant, how EMI's rejection of The Jellabad Mutant impact the band when they went to the UK to record, recording at Abbey Road Studios, playing at the '75 Sunbury festival, and the band's last gig in 1977 at the Dallas Brooks Hall.&nbsp;
"The opportunity to actually demo stuff was pretty remote in those days. I think I had a tape recorder, but that was it. Quite often, they were just dubbed onto a cassette, and the band expanded on that&mdash;and whatever we ended up with was Ariel" - Mike Rudd on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about finding the Ariel sound
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.

Mike Rudd - Founder of Ariel

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks for a second time with Gil Mathews, drummer of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Gil joined the Aztecs in August 1970 and remained with them until their farewell performance in 1973. In Jack's last interview with Gil, he delved into hit records by the Aztecs, such as Most People I Know Think I’m Crazy and also their famous 1972 Sunbury performance. In this episode Jack dives deeper into Gil’s time with the Aztecs.

Gil joined Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs in August 1970. On June 13th, 1971, the Aztecs would famously headline a gig at the Melbourne Town Hall. Their Town Hall set would be recorded and released as the live album Aztecs Live. The performance featured the majestic sound of the Melbourne Town Hall organ, which, after being used by the loudest band in the country, reportedly ruptured the foundations of the building next to the Town Hall.

When the Aztecs played the Melbourne Town Hall, above the band and the crowd there was a massive inflatable octopus. The artist behind this floating sea creature, after the Town Hall gig, suggested to the Sydney Opera House committee that they book the Aztecs for a concert. The committee agreed and booked the Aztecs on the assumption they were a string quartet. It wasn't until closer to the concert that they realised that the Aztecs were in fact a rock and roll band. And so Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, by accident, became the first rock band to perform at the Opera House.

This Sydney Opera House gig would be the farewell gig for Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Following this, Gil would remain drumming for Billy Thorpe on his solo albums, such as Downunder in 1973 and Million Dollar Bill in 1975.

Gil has remained in music and has been running his own music label, Aztec Records, since 2005. The label specialises in remastering and reissuing classic Oz releases onto CD. Their latest CD release is The Live Adventures of Ariel.

Jack called Gil to talk about his work at Havoc Records pre-Aztecs, recording Lobby Loyde, his memories of the Melbourne Town Hall gig, the majestic one-off performance of Somebody Left Me Crying, how the Aztecs came to play the Sydney Opera House, why they chose to open the Opera House gig with an acoustic set, his work on Thorpe songs such as It's Almost Summer, and his work today with Aztec Records.

"The (Sydney Opera House) committee thought the Aztecs were a string quartet! They had no knowledge the Aztecs were Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, the rock and roll band, until the day we started playing." - Gil Mathews on this episode of Vinyl Vibes

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks for a second time with Gil Mathews, drummer of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Gil joined the Aztecs in August 1970 and remained with them until their farewell performance in 1973. In Jack's last interview with Gil, he delved into hit records by the Aztecs, such as&nbsp;Most People I Know Think I&rsquo;m Crazy and also their famous 1972 Sunbury performance. In this episode Jack dives deeper into Gil&rsquo;s time with the Aztecs.
Gil joined Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs in August 1970. On June 13th, 1971, the Aztecs would famously headline a gig at the Melbourne Town Hall. Their Town Hall set would be recorded and released as the live album&nbsp;Aztecs Live. The performance featured the majestic sound of the Melbourne Town Hall organ, which, after being used by the loudest band in the country, reportedly ruptured the foundations of the building next to the Town Hall.
When the Aztecs played the Melbourne Town Hall, above the band and the crowd there was a massive inflatable octopus. The artist behind this floating sea creature, after the Town Hall gig, suggested to the Sydney Opera House committee that they book the Aztecs for a concert. The committee agreed and booked the Aztecs on the assumption they were a string quartet. It wasn't until closer to the concert that they realised that the Aztecs were in fact a rock and roll band. And so Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, by accident, became the first rock band to perform at the Opera House.
This Sydney Opera House gig would be the farewell gig for Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Following this, Gil would remain drumming for Billy Thorpe on his solo albums, such as Downunder in 1973 and Million Dollar Bill in 1975.
Gil has remained in music and has been running his own music label, <a href="https://www.aztecrecords.com.au/">Aztec Records</a>, since 2005. The label specialises in remastering and reissuing classic Oz releases onto CD. Their latest CD release is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aztecrecords.com.au/collections/aztec-music/products/avscd097">The Live Adventures of Ariel</a>.
Jack called Gil to talk about his work at Havoc Records pre-Aztecs, recording Lobby Loyde, his memories of the Melbourne Town Hall gig, the majestic one-off performance of Somebody Left Me Crying, how the Aztecs came to play the Sydney Opera House, why they chose to open the Opera House gig with an acoustic set, his work on Thorpe songs such as It's Almost Summer, and his work today with Aztec Records.
"The (Sydney Opera House) committee thought the Aztecs were a string quartet! They had no knowledge the Aztecs were Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, the rock and roll band, until the day we started playing." - Gil Mathews on this episode of Vinyl Vibes
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.

Gil Matthews - Drummer of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs (Interview #2)

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Clelia Adams, author of One Of A Kind: The Adventures of Cleo from Go-Set Magazine. Clelia grew up in Orange, surrounded by the music of the early '60s. In 1966, Go-Set Magazine—the first magazine to cover the Australian pop music scene—began publishing. Clelia was hooked from the beginning.

In June 1967, Clelia moved from Orange to Sydney and soon got a job at the Go-Set Sydney office. She would work with the magazine for the next four years.

After her time at Go-Set, Clelia joined WEA Records in 1972. Her main job during this time was to organise press conferences for international WEA acts touring Australia. Jethro Tull was the first band she worked with. Their album Thick as a Brick had just come out, so instead of sending normal press invitations, Clelia wrapped bricks in newspaper with red ribbon and sent them out as invites to the press conference. The album would go on to become a number one hit in Australia.

Led Zeppelin toured Australia in February 1972. Clelia met the band when they visited the WEA offices, and she worked on their Australian tour through the WEA label. One of the last bands she worked with at WEA was The Rolling Stones, during their 1973 Australian tour.

In the mid-'70s, Clelia moved to Tamworth to embark on a career in country music.

After releasing her first studio album, Fine Company, in 1996, Clelia has now recorded a total of six studio albums and recently compiled a greatest hits CD. During the COVID lockdowns, Clelia began working on her memoir. It covers her time at Go-Set, WEA, and her career in country music. It was released in December 2024.

Jack called Clelia to talk about her early music memories, growing up in Orange, what Melbourne in the '60s was like, how she came to work at Go-Set, her memories of working at the magazine, the impact Go-Set had on the Australian music scene, how she came to work for WEA Records, her memories of working with Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, her solo music work, her new compilation album, and her new book.

"They came into the office… just popped in to say hello and do the social thing. Robert Plant—well, as soon as he walked into the room, he was like a lion king. That hair was just flowing everywhere. Anyway, he sees me in the corner, where I was sitting at my typewriter. He launches himself onto a chair in front of my desk, leans forward with his hands on the table, ends up about two inches from my face, and says, ‘I think you must come out with me tonight.’”

– Clelia Adams on this episode of Vinyl Vibes, talking about Led Zeppelin dropping by the WEA offices.

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.

In this episode of&nbsp;Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Clelia Adams, author of <a href="https://cleliaadams.com/my-memoir">One Of A Kind: The Adventures of Cleo from Go-Set Magazine</a>. Clelia grew up in Orange, surrounded by the music of the early '60s. In 1966, Go-Set Magazine&mdash;the first magazine to cover the Australian pop music scene&mdash;began publishing. Clelia was hooked from the beginning.
In June 1967, Clelia moved from Orange to Sydney and soon got a job at the&nbsp;Go-Set&nbsp;Sydney office. She would work with the magazine for the next four years.
After her time at&nbsp;Go-Set, Clelia joined WEA Records in 1972. Her main job during this time was to organise press conferences for international WEA acts touring Australia. Jethro Tull was the first band she worked with. Their album&nbsp;Thick as a Brick&nbsp;had just come out, so instead of sending normal press invitations, Clelia wrapped bricks in newspaper with red ribbon and sent them out as invites to the press conference. The album would go on to become a number one hit in Australia.
Led Zeppelin toured Australia in February 1972. Clelia met the band when they visited the WEA offices, and she worked on their Australian tour through the WEA label. One of the last bands she worked with at WEA was The Rolling Stones, during their 1973 Australian tour.
In the mid-'70s, Clelia moved to Tamworth to embark on a career in country music.
After releasing her first studio album,&nbsp;Fine Company, in 1996, Clelia has now recorded a total of six studio albums and recently compiled a greatest hits CD. During the COVID lockdowns, Clelia began working on her memoir. It covers her time at&nbsp;Go-Set, WEA, and her career in country music. It was released in December 2024.
Jack called Clelia to talk about her early music memories, growing up in Orange, what Melbourne in the '60s was like, how she came to work at&nbsp;Go-Set, her memories of working at the magazine, the impact&nbsp;Go-Set had on the Australian music scene, how she came to work for WEA Records, her memories of working with Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, her solo music work, her new compilation album, and her new book.
"They came into the office&hellip; just popped in to say hello and do the social thing. Robert Plant&mdash;well, as soon as he walked into the room, he was like a lion king. That hair was just flowing everywhere. Anyway, he sees me in the corner, where I was sitting at my typewriter. He launches himself onto a chair in front of my desk, leans forward with his hands on the table, ends up about two inches from my face, and says, &lsquo;I think you must come out with me tonight.&rsquo;&rdquo;
&ndash; Clelia Adams on this episode of Vinyl Vibes, talking about Led Zeppelin dropping by the WEA offices.
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.

Clelia Adams - Author of One Of A Kind: The Adventures of Cleo from Go-Set Magazine

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack closes his 8-part Newcastle Vinyl Vibes series by talking with Greg Bryce, Founder of DV8. Over the course of this series, Jack has spoken with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story. 

Greg bought his first album when he was a teenager, a copy of Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out by the Rolling Stones. The album sparked Greg's love for raw live rock and roll and began his interest in music. Greg formed his first band, Meccalissa, in 1974. As the years went by, the band started to get paid gigs, and in September 1979, they would open for Heroes the night of the Star Hotel Riot. The month after the riot, the band would record their first and only single. Its A-side was "Darby Street Blues," and its B-side was "Kill The Warden." The single was recorded at Anglewood Studios in Newcastle and would become a top 20 hit locally, reaching 17 on the Newcastle charts. Soon after recording the single, in late 1979, Meccalissa would split and transform into DV8. 

DV8 was formed to embrace the raw live sound that first got Greg into music. Their first album, Stab in the Dark, was a live album recorded between May and June 1981 at the Bel Air Hotel. It would be a big local hit, reaching number 2 on the Newcastle album charts, being kept off the number one position only by the Rolling Stones' album Tattoo You. However, there would be a five-year gap between Stab in the Dark and DV8’s second album, Back to Basics. During this five-year gap, the band built up their audience across Newcastle, and Greg wrote a lot of new material. After this album, DV8 would release two more albums: Live! in 1987 and Can You Hear Me? in 1988. 

After the Can You Hear Me? album, DV8 went on a long hiatus when Greg left to travel the world. He would not return to Newcastle until 1993. DV8 would play intermittently throughout the ‘90s, even releasing an album in 1998 called Big Green Monsters. Since 2000, the band has not stopped playing and is still doing gigs around Newcastle. More recently, Greg has begun a new music project called All Without a Space Suit. All Without a Space Suit is a funky jam band that Greg formed during the COVID lockdowns. The band is recording songs and has new music on the way. 

Jack talked with Greg in the studio about his early life, how albums such as Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out sparked his interest in music, the formation of Meccalissa, the early Meccalissa gigs, his memories of playing at the Star Hotel Riot, the recording of Darby Street Blues, how DV8 came to be, the success of the band's first album Stab in the Dark, DV8's rise to becoming Newcastle's top group of the late '80s, why Greg left DV8 to travel the world, how much music had changed in Newcastle on his return in 1993, his work with DV8 today, and his new band All Without a Space Suit. 

"We were coming into the '80s, and there were a lot of bands with very succinct short names like INXS and U2... came up with DV8, saw it on the number plate of a cartoon character or something like that, because DV8 really means to change direction, and we were just in the process of changing direction." - Greg Bryce on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the formation of DV8. 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins. 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack closes his 8-part Newcastle Vinyl Vibes series by talking with Greg Bryce, Founder of DV8. Over the course of this series, Jack has spoken with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story.&nbsp;
Greg bought his first album when he was a teenager, a copy of Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out by the Rolling Stones. The album sparked Greg's love for raw live rock and roll and began his interest in music. Greg formed his first band, Meccalissa, in 1974. As the years went by, the band started to get paid gigs, and in September 1979, they would open for Heroes the night of the Star Hotel Riot. The month after the riot, the band would record their first and only single. Its A-side was "Darby Street Blues," and its B-side was "Kill The Warden." The single was recorded at Anglewood Studios in Newcastle and would become a top 20 hit locally, reaching 17 on the Newcastle charts. Soon after recording the single, in late 1979, Meccalissa would split and transform into DV8.&nbsp;
DV8 was formed to embrace the raw live sound that first got Greg into music. Their first album, Stab in the Dark, was a live album recorded between May and June 1981 at the Bel Air Hotel. It would be a big local hit, reaching number 2 on the Newcastle album charts, being kept off the number one position only by the Rolling Stones' album Tattoo You. However, there would be a five-year gap between Stab in the Dark and DV8&rsquo;s second album, Back to Basics. During this five-year gap, the band built up their audience across Newcastle, and Greg wrote a lot of new material. After this album, DV8 would release two more albums: Live! in 1987 and Can You Hear Me? in 1988.&nbsp;
After the Can You Hear Me? album, DV8 went on a long hiatus when Greg left to travel the world. He would not return to Newcastle until 1993. DV8 would play intermittently throughout the &lsquo;90s, even releasing an album in 1998 called Big Green Monsters. Since 2000, the band has not stopped playing and is still doing gigs around Newcastle. More recently, Greg has begun a new music project called All Without a Space Suit. All Without a Space Suit is a funky jam band that Greg formed during the COVID lockdowns. The band is recording songs and has new music on the way.&nbsp;
Jack talked with Greg in the studio about his early life, how albums such as Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out sparked his interest in music, the formation of Meccalissa, the early Meccalissa gigs, his memories of playing at the Star Hotel Riot, the recording of Darby Street Blues, how DV8 came to be, the success of the band's first album Stab in the Dark, DV8's rise to becoming Newcastle's top group of the late '80s, why Greg left DV8 to travel the world, how much music had changed in Newcastle on his return in 1993, his work with DV8 today, and his new band All Without a Space Suit.&nbsp;
"We were coming into the '80s, and there were a lot of bands with very succinct short names like INXS and U2... came up with DV8, saw it on the number plate of a cartoon character or something like that, because DV8 really means to change direction, and we were just in the process of changing direction." - Greg Bryce on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the formation of DV8.&nbsp;
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.&nbsp;

Greg Bryce Interview - Founder of DV8 (Newcastle Series Ep #8)

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Peter De Jong, founding member of Heroes. This is the seventh episode in an eight-part Newcastle Vinyl Vibes series. Over the course of this series, Jack has spoken with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story. 

Pete started playing in bands during the late ‘60s, but his first professional band was Armageddon, which took shape in 1970. Armageddon initially played around Toronto, performing blues covers by the likes of The Kinks and John Mayall. The band would rise in popularity and in 1971, would enter the Newcastle heat of the Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds, at the time the biggest music competition in Australia. The band played two original songs and won the Newcastle heat of the competition securing Armageddon as Newcastle's top group of the early ‘70s. Armageddon came to an end in 1975. 

In 1976, Heroes was formed with Pete on lead guitar and co-lead vocals. For the first year of their existence, the band had a residency at the Clinkers Tavern in Belmont before starting to play at other Newcastle venues. The band began by playing covers of songs by 10cc and Thin Lizzy, but they also started writing original music. In 1978, the band's bass player at the time, Allan Cook, presented a song to the band called Star and the Slaughter. It was a country-pop sounding song at first, but after fellow Heroes member Mark Tinson worked on the song, it became the punchy rock track it is known as today. The song brought the band notoriety after Heroes played it as their encore at the Star Hotel riot gig in September 1979. 

After their Star Hotel riot gig, Heroes were soon signed to Albert Productions by George Young and Harry Vanda. The band released their first single, Baby Got a Taste, in August 1980. The single reached number 2 locally in Newcastle and number 76 nationally on the Kent Music charts. Their self-titled album followed in October 1980, and their second single, The Star and the Slaughter, came out in January 1981. The band continued playing until they disbanded in 1982. 

In 2015, Heroes released their second studio album, So Far. The album was made up of songs both written in the ‘80s for the second Alberts album that never happened, as well as newer songs penned by Peter and Mark Tinson. The band played their final gig at Lizottes in 2019 on the anniversary of the Star Riot, closing the page on one of Newcastle's greatest bands. 

Jack phoned Pete to talk about his early musical memories, how Armageddon came to be, his memories of playing and winning the 1971 Newcastle heat of the Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds, the formation of Heroes, the band's residency at the Clinkers Tavern, Pete's memories of the Star Hotel Riot, how the band was discovered by Harry Vanda and George Young, recording for Alberts, what it was like playing on Countdown, the disbandment of Heroes in 1982, and the band's 2015 album So Far. 

"A whole bunch of things came together to make that song have a power that it was never really intended to have... but even the lyrics matched what was going on, you know? 'I want action, I want fighting in the streets, going to take this town by storm' – haha, it was almost like a narrative to what was going on outside, even though we weren’t aware of it." - Peter De Jong on the song Star and the Slaughter being played during the Star Hotel Riot 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins. 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Peter De Jong, founding member of Heroes. This is the seventh episode in an eight-part Newcastle Vinyl Vibes series. Over the course of this series, Jack has spoken with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story.&nbsp;
Pete started playing in bands during the late &lsquo;60s, but his first professional band was Armageddon, which took shape in 1970. Armageddon initially played around Toronto, performing blues covers by the likes of The Kinks and John Mayall. The band would rise in popularity and in 1971, would enter the Newcastle heat of the Hoadley&rsquo;s Battle of the Sounds, at the time the biggest music competition in Australia. The band played two original songs and won the Newcastle heat of the competition securing Armageddon as Newcastle's top group of the early &lsquo;70s. Armageddon came to an end in 1975.&nbsp;
In 1976, Heroes was formed with Pete on lead guitar and co-lead vocals. For the first year of their existence, the band had a residency at the Clinkers Tavern in Belmont before starting to play at other Newcastle venues. The band began by playing covers of songs by 10cc and Thin Lizzy, but they also started writing original music. In 1978, the band's bass player at the time, Allan Cook, presented a song to the band called Star and the Slaughter. It was a country-pop sounding song at first, but after fellow Heroes member Mark Tinson worked on the song, it became the punchy rock track it is known as today. The song brought the band notoriety after Heroes played it as their encore at the Star Hotel riot gig in September 1979.&nbsp;
After their Star Hotel riot gig, Heroes were soon signed to Albert Productions by George Young and Harry Vanda. The band released their first single, Baby Got a Taste, in August 1980. The single reached number 2 locally in Newcastle and number 76 nationally on the Kent Music charts. Their self-titled album followed in October 1980, and their second single, The Star and the Slaughter, came out in January 1981. The band continued playing until they disbanded in 1982.&nbsp;
In 2015, Heroes released their second studio album, So Far. The album was made up of songs both written in the &lsquo;80s for the second Alberts album that never happened, as well as newer songs penned by Peter and Mark Tinson. The band played their final gig at Lizottes in 2019 on the anniversary of the Star Riot, closing the page on one of Newcastle's greatest bands.&nbsp;
Jack phoned Pete to talk about his early musical memories, how Armageddon came to be, his memories of playing and winning the 1971 Newcastle heat of the Hoadley&rsquo;s Battle of the Sounds, the formation of Heroes, the band's residency at the Clinkers Tavern, Pete's memories of the Star Hotel Riot, how the band was discovered by Harry Vanda and George Young, recording for Alberts, what it was like playing on Countdown, the disbandment of Heroes in 1982, and the band's 2015 album So Far.&nbsp;
"A whole bunch of things came together to make that song have a power that it was never really intended to have... but even the lyrics matched what was going on, you know? 'I want action, I want fighting in the streets, going to take this town by storm' &ndash; haha, it was almost like a narrative to what was going on outside, even though we weren&rsquo;t aware of it." - Peter De Jong on the song Star and the Slaughter being played during the Star Hotel Riot&nbsp;
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.&nbsp;

Peter De Jong Interview - Lead Singer of Heroes (Newcastle Series Ep #7) 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Rick Pointon, founder of Benny and The Jets. Last time Rick was on the show, in episode 2 of this Newcastle Vinyl Vibes special, he talked about his music work in the ‘60s. In this episode, he discusses his music work in the ‘70s with Benny and The Jets. 

Prior to forming Benny and The Jets in 1973, Rick was in a local group called Keg. While in Keg, Rick had the idea of performing a 20-minute medley of rock and roll songs from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Toward the end of Keg, while at the Star Hotel watching Bob Hudson one day in 1973, Rick had the idea to form a band based around the rock and roll of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Rick aspired to launch this new band, Benny and The Jets, at The Star Hotel. This was no easy task at the time, as The Star was primarily a jazz pub. However, after much persistence, Rick convinced the publican, Don Graham, to let Benny and The Jets play a free night at the Star. This first performance was a success, and the band soon rose to prominence around Newcastle. Upon their first gig, the band became Australia's first rock and roll revival group. 

In 1975, Rick contacted Copperfield Records in Sydney, and the band recorded its first single, a cover of Barry Mann’s We Put the Bomp (In the Bomp Bomp Bomp). For Benny and The Jets, the single became a number one hit on the local Newcastle charts and reached number 90 nationally on the Kent Music charts. This marked the beginning of a string of local hits for the group. In 1976, Benny and The Jets released their well-known album Hey Rock and Roll, which reached number one locally in Newcastle. 

Although still popular, in May 1978, Benny and The Jets came to an end after Rick underwent an intensive throat operation. Rick has remained a fixture of the music scene in Newcastle and, more recently, has written a book called Hey Rock and Roll, which reflects on his time in music and the Newcastle music scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s. 

Jack talked with Rick in the studio about his time in Keg, what inspired Keg to play a rock and roll medley, how Bob Hudson inspired Rick to form Benny and The Jets, how the band came to play The Star, the success the band had throughout the '70s, the recording of hits such as Hey Rock and Roll, the writing of songs such as JOK, why the band came to an end, and his book Hey Rock and Roll. 

"He (Don Graham) didn't know who I was, so then he would say, 'Well, where have you been playing?' and I’d reply, 'We haven't been playing anywhere.' In the end, he said, 'Look, just keep in touch,' so I rang him back every second day, drove him crazy... I said, 'We'll do a free night for you.' Don said, 'Oh, okay, what about next Tuesday?'... Halfway through the night, it was jumping, so they got us back." – Rick Pointon on this episode of Vinyl Vibes, talking about Benny and The Jets playing The Star for the first time. 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins. 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Rick Pointon, founder of Benny and The Jets. Last time Rick was on the show, in episode 2 of this Newcastle Vinyl Vibes special, he talked about his music work in the &lsquo;60s. In this episode, he discusses his music work in the &lsquo;70s with Benny and The Jets.&nbsp;
Prior to forming Benny and The Jets in 1973, Rick was in a local group called Keg. While in Keg, Rick had the idea of performing a 20-minute medley of rock and roll songs from the late &lsquo;50s and early &lsquo;60s. Toward the end of Keg, while at the Star Hotel watching Bob Hudson one day in 1973, Rick had the idea to form a band based around the rock and roll of the late &lsquo;50s and early &lsquo;60s. Rick aspired to launch this new band, Benny and The Jets, at The Star Hotel. This was no easy task at the time, as The Star was primarily a jazz pub. However, after much persistence, Rick convinced the publican, Don Graham, to let Benny and The Jets play a free night at the Star. This first performance was a success, and the band soon rose to prominence around Newcastle. Upon their first gig, the band became Australia's first rock and roll revival group.&nbsp;
In 1975, Rick contacted Copperfield Records in Sydney, and the band recorded its first single, a cover of Barry Mann&rsquo;s We Put the Bomp (In the Bomp Bomp Bomp). For Benny and The Jets, the single became a number one hit on the local Newcastle charts and reached number 90 nationally on the Kent Music charts. This marked the beginning of a string of local hits for the group. In 1976, Benny and The Jets released their well-known album Hey Rock and Roll, which reached number one locally in Newcastle.&nbsp;
Although still popular, in May 1978, Benny and The Jets came to an end after Rick underwent an intensive throat operation. Rick has remained a fixture of the music scene in Newcastle and, more recently, has written a book called Hey Rock and Roll, which reflects on his time in music and the Newcastle music scene of the &lsquo;60s and &lsquo;70s.&nbsp;
Jack talked with Rick in the studio about his time in Keg, what inspired Keg to play a rock and roll medley, how Bob Hudson inspired Rick to form Benny and The Jets, how the band came to play The Star, the success the band had throughout the '70s, the recording of hits such as Hey Rock and Roll, the writing of songs such as JOK, why the band came to an end, and his book Hey Rock and Roll.&nbsp;
"He (Don Graham) didn't know who I was, so then he would say, 'Well, where have you been playing?' and I&rsquo;d reply, 'We haven't been playing anywhere.' In the end, he said, 'Look, just keep in touch,' so I rang him back every second day, drove him crazy... I said, 'We'll do a free night for you.' Don said, 'Oh, okay, what about next Tuesday?'... Halfway through the night, it was jumping, so they got us back." &ndash; Rick Pointon on this episode of Vinyl Vibes, talking about Benny and The Jets playing The Star for the first time.&nbsp;
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins.&nbsp;

Rick Pointon Interview - Founder of Benny And The Jets (Newcastle Series Ep #6)  

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Mark Tinson in the fifth instalment of the Vinyl Vibes Newcastle series. This 8-part series talks with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story. 

Mark grew up in Maitland amidst the music of the ‘60s listening to the likes of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. While still in High School, Mark would form his first professional band, Bluegrass, in 1968. Along with Bluegrass, Mark would enter Newcastle heat of the 1971 Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds, at that time the biggest music contest in Australia. Although the band would loose the heat to fellow Newcastle band Armageddon, for Mark it would bring an important moment in his musical journey as he would meet Peter De Jong, a future long-time music collaborator. After seeing acts live such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, Mark had the idea to form a group that could make records and also tour. This would lead to the formation of glam rock band, A Rabbit in 1973. At the Insistence of Ted Mulry, In 1975 the band would be joined on lead vocals by original AC/DC Dave Evans. Soon after this the band would be singed to CBS records and become known simply as Rabbit.  

After recording their debut self titled album, Rabbit would moved from Newcastle to Sydney. Their first efforts in Sydney included recording their single Wild Fire, which saw the band gain some national recognition when the single reached 86 on the national Kent Music Charts. After recording this Wild Fire single, the band would record their second album, Too Much Rock 'n' Roll. The single and title track off the album, Too Much Rock 'n' Roll, would reach 64 on the national charts and was written by Mark. 

During Ted Murly Gang's national 1976 Stepping Out tour, Mark would leave Rabbit and return to Newcastle. He would first join a jam band called Bandits before forming Heroes in the same year. Heroes would play constantly throughout Newcastle and would rise to national prominence following the 1979 Star Hotel Riot. 

Following the Star Riot, Heroes would be signed to Alberts Productions and in August 1980 the band’s first single, Baby’s Had a Taste, would be released. The B-side to this debut Heroes single, Waiting for You, was a song written by Mark. The single would reach 76 on the Kent music charts. This single would be followed by a self tiled album in October 1980 and a second singe, The Star and The Slaughter in January 1981. After money troubles the band would come to an end in 1982. More recently, Mark has written a book called Too Much Rock and Roll, which covers his time in music.  

In this episode Jack talks with Mark about his early musical influences, the experience of hearing an electric guitar for the first time, his first profession band Bluegrass, his memoires of playing the '71 Hoadleys Battle of The Sounds, the formation of A Rabbit, working with original AC/DC front man Dave Evans, the recording of Rabbit's first album, his memoires of playing on Countdown, the writing of Rabbit hits such as Too Much Rock and Roll, TMG's 1976 Stepping Out Tour, his time in The Bandits, the formation of Heroes, the early Heroes gigs, The Star Hotel Riot, the recording the band did with Alberts, his recent memoir and his recent music work.  

"The infamous Star Hotel Riot occurred, that brought some attention to us from Alberts and they came up to see the band play which is kind of surreal when George Young and Harry Vanda sitting up the back of the room" - Mark Tinson on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about getting signed by Vanda and Young 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Mark Tinson in the fifth instalment of the Vinyl Vibes Newcastle series. This 8-part series talks with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story.&nbsp;
Mark grew up in Maitland amidst the music of the &lsquo;60s listening to the likes of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. While still in High School, Mark would form his first professional band, Bluegrass, in 1968. Along with Bluegrass, Mark would enter Newcastle heat of the 1971 Hoadley&rsquo;s Battle of the Sounds, at that time the biggest music contest in Australia. Although the band would loose the heat to fellow Newcastle band Armageddon, for Mark it would bring an important moment in his musical journey as he would meet Peter De Jong, a future long-time music collaborator. After seeing acts live such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, Mark had the idea to form a group that could make records and also tour. This would lead to the formation of glam rock band, A Rabbit in 1973. At the Insistence of Ted Mulry, In 1975 the band would be joined on lead vocals by original AC/DC Dave Evans. Soon after this the band would be singed to CBS records and become known simply as Rabbit.&nbsp;&nbsp;
After recording their debut self titled album, Rabbit would moved from Newcastle to Sydney. Their first efforts in Sydney included recording their single Wild Fire, which saw the band gain some national recognition when the single reached 86 on the national Kent Music Charts. After recording this Wild Fire single, the band would record their second album, Too Much Rock 'n' Roll. The single and title track off the album, Too Much Rock 'n' Roll, would reach 64 on the national charts and was written by Mark.&nbsp;
During Ted Murly Gang's national 1976 Stepping Out tour, Mark would leave Rabbit and return to Newcastle. He would first join a jam band called Bandits before forming Heroes in the same year. Heroes would play constantly throughout Newcastle and would rise to national prominence following the 1979 Star Hotel Riot.&nbsp;
Following the Star Riot, Heroes would be signed to Alberts Productions and in August 1980 the band&rsquo;s first single, Baby&rsquo;s Had a Taste, would be released. The B-side to this debut Heroes single, Waiting for You, was a song written by Mark. The single would reach 76 on the Kent music charts. This single would be followed by a self tiled album in October 1980 and a second singe, The Star and The Slaughter in January 1981. After money troubles the band would come to an end in 1982. More recently, Mark has written a book called <a href="https://marktinsonmusic.com/shop/">Too Much Rock and Roll</a>, which covers his time in music.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In this episode Jack talks with Mark about his early musical influences, the experience of hearing an electric guitar for the first time, his first profession band Bluegrass, his memoires of playing the '71 Hoadleys Battle of The Sounds, the formation of A Rabbit, working with original AC/DC front man Dave Evans, the recording of Rabbit's first album, his memoires of playing on Countdown, the writing of Rabbit hits such as Too Much Rock and Roll, TMG's 1976 Stepping Out Tour, his time in The Bandits, the formation of Heroes, the early Heroes gigs, The Star Hotel Riot, the recording the band did with Alberts, his recent memoir and his recent music work.&nbsp;&nbsp;
"The infamous Star Hotel Riot occurred, that brought some attention to us from Alberts and they came up to see the band play which is kind of surreal when George Young and Harry Vanda sitting up the back of the room" - Mark Tinson on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about getting signed by Vanda and Young&nbsp;
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins&nbsp;

Mark Tinson Interview - Guitarist of Rabbit and Heroes (Newcastle Series Ep #5) 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Les Gully in the fourth instalment of an 8-part Vinyl Vibes Newcastle series. This series talks with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story. 

Les grew up in Toronto, joining his first band Yesterday's Orphans in the mid ‘60s. The band would play a few gigs throughout Les’ time in high school but would come to an end in 1968 after Les graduated. While still in high school, future Armageddon vocalist and guitarist Peter De Jong approached Les one lunchtime asking if he could play Happy Jack by The Who on the drums. Les obliged, and it impressed De Jong greatly. When Les' first band Yesterday's Orphans came to an end, De Jong and bassist Paul Matters were in a band called The Pak at the time. Their drummer had just left and so, possibly remembering Les’s drumming of Happy Jack, they asked Les to join the band. The band would go through name changes such as Frog Hollow and Gully Erosion before settling on Armageddon by 1970. 

The first year of Armageddon's existence would see the band start to build a following around Newcastle. In 1971 The band would enter the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, at the time Australia's biggest music contest. The group would win the Newcastle heat of the contest with their two original songs, Song for Happy and Suite Blind Eye. The band went down to Sydney for the finals but did not make it to the end of the contest, with finalists Fraternity winning the '71 Hoadleys overall. Following their '71 Hoadleys Newcastle win, the group would become the most popular group around newcastle throughout the early '70s. Armageddon would come to an end in 1975, with Peter De Jong forming Heroes the year after and Paul Matters joining AC/DC for a short period. Les would keep Armageddon going in the form of Geddon, which would play locally throughout 1976.  

In this episode Les talks with Jack in the studio about why he started playing drums, his early musical influences, his memoires of playing for the first time live in 1964, how he came to join Yesterdays Orphens, his memoires of recording and playing with Yesterdays Orphens, the formation of Armageddon, his memoires of playing Hoadleys Battle of the Sounds in '71 and '72, being Newcastle's top group of the early '70s, how Armageddon bassist Paul Matters went on to play in AC/DC, and the later days of the band when it became known as Geddon.  

"He (Paul Matters) was in there (AC/DC) in 1975. You'll find in the books that he's not mentioned. That period is put down as George Young and for a long time nobody knew about it...people found out about me, AC/DC fan clubs in Scandinavia and Italy -here there and everywhere- and started writing me letters. Paul didn't want to talk to anybody but he has a twin sister so through her we got into contact with Paul and he was kind of persuaded to take phone calls, so he did some talking with these people. The people who keep the records of these things were convinced that Paul Matters had to be put in (AC/DCs history)"- Les Gully on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Amageddon bassist Paul Matters who went on to play in AC/DC 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Les Gully in the fourth instalment of an 8-part Vinyl Vibes Newcastle series. This series talks with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story.&nbsp;
Les grew up in Toronto, joining his first band Yesterday's Orphans in the mid &lsquo;60s. The band would play a few gigs throughout Les&rsquo; time in high school but would come to an end in 1968 after Les graduated. While still in high school, future Armageddon vocalist and guitarist Peter De Jong approached Les one lunchtime asking if he could play Happy Jack by The Who on the drums. Les obliged, and it impressed De Jong greatly. When Les' first band Yesterday's Orphans came to an end, De Jong and bassist Paul Matters were in a band called The Pak at the time. Their drummer had just left and so, possibly remembering Les&rsquo;s drumming of Happy Jack, they asked Les to join the band. The band would go through name changes such as Frog Hollow and Gully Erosion before settling on Armageddon by 1970.&nbsp;
The first year of Armageddon's existence would see the band start to build a following around Newcastle. In 1971 The band would enter the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, at the time Australia's biggest music contest. The group would win the Newcastle heat of the contest with their two original songs, Song for Happy and Suite Blind Eye. The band went down to Sydney for the finals but did not make it to the end of the contest, with finalists Fraternity winning the '71 Hoadleys overall. Following their '71 Hoadleys Newcastle win, the group would become the most popular group around newcastle throughout the early '70s. Armageddon would come to an end in 1975, with Peter De Jong forming Heroes the year after and Paul Matters joining AC/DC for a short period. Les would keep Armageddon going in the form of Geddon, which would play locally throughout 1976.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In this episode Les talks with Jack in the studio about why he started playing drums, his early musical influences, his memoires of playing for the first time live in 1964, how he came to join Yesterdays Orphens, his memoires of recording and playing with Yesterdays Orphens, the formation of Armageddon, his memoires of playing Hoadleys Battle of the Sounds in '71 and '72, being Newcastle's top group of the early '70s, how Armageddon bassist Paul Matters went on to play in AC/DC, and the later days of the band when it became known as Geddon.&nbsp;&nbsp;
"He (Paul Matters) was in there (AC/DC) in 1975. You'll find in the books that he's not mentioned. That period is put down as George Young and for a long time nobody knew about it...people found out about me, AC/DC fan clubs in Scandinavia and Italy -here there and everywhere- and started writing me letters. Paul didn't want to talk to anybody but he has a twin sister so through her we got into contact with Paul and he was kind of persuaded to take phone calls, so he did some talking with these people. The people who keep the records of these things were convinced that Paul Matters had to be put in (AC/DCs history)"- Les Gully on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Amageddon bassist Paul Matters who went on to play in AC/DC&nbsp;
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins&nbsp;

Les Gully Interview - Drummer of Armageddon (Newcastle Series Ep #4) 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Les Hall in the third instalment of an 8-part Vinyl Vibes Newcastle series. This series will talk with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story. 

Les grew up in Maitland, joining his first band, The Cavemen, when he was still in high school. After playing in his second Maitland band, The Influence of Cessal Roads, in 1968 Les would join Newcastle band The Velvet Underground. The Velvet Underground would go on to be very popular around Newcastle in the late ‘60s playing vanues such as The Bus Stop Disco. The band became known for their stage act which included lead singer Steve Phillipson lighting his bomber jacket on fire when the band would cover Jimi Hendrix’s Fire. In 1970 The Velvet Underground recorded its first and only single. It featured on its A-side a cover of Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love and on the B-side a cover of Love’s She Comes in Colors. Later in the same year, on suggestion by Stevie Wright, the band would be joined by future AC/DC member, Malcolm Young, on guitar. In 1972, The Velvet Underground, who briefly were called Pony, became the backing band for Ted Mulry. During 1972 Velvet Underground would disband and Ted Mulry Gang would form with Velvet members Les Hall and Herman Kovacs. Velvet member Malcolm Young would go off and form AC/DC in 1973. TMG would go on to be one of Australia's biggest bands of the '70s with songs such as "Jump In My Car" and "Darktown Strutters Ball". AC/DC would go on to become one of the biggest bands in the world. In this episode, Les talks about how this Newcastle band, The Velvet Underground, went on to be the predecessor to these two massive Aussie bands of the ‘70s. 

Jack talked with Les live in the studio about his time in his first band The Cavemen, how he came to join The Velvet Underground, the Newcastle music scene in the '60s, the setlist the band played early on, the live gigs with Steve Phillipson, the recording of the bands first and only single, how Malcom Young came to join the band, memories of playing with Malcom Young, and how the band came to come to form into TMG.  

"As we were walking out (of the Young residence), heard the noise coming from the bedroom and walked in and there was a big old wardrobe...Malcom slid one of the doors open and said 'that's just Angus'. He was in there playing with -he had an SG-he was playing along to Led Zeppelin on this little record player...We went to walk out and their father walked into the room and...we shook hands, his father pointed to the Wardrobe and said 'he's the one, he's the one'. - Les Hall on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Angus Young 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack talks with Les Hall in the third instalment of an 8-part Vinyl Vibes Newcastle series. This series will talk with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story.&nbsp;
Les grew up in Maitland, joining his first band, The Cavemen, when he was still in high school. After playing in his second Maitland band, The Influence of Cessal Roads, in 1968 Les would join Newcastle band The Velvet Underground. The Velvet Underground would go on to be very popular around Newcastle in the late &lsquo;60s playing vanues such as The Bus Stop Disco. The band became known for their stage act which included lead singer Steve Phillipson lighting his bomber jacket on fire when the band would cover Jimi Hendrix&rsquo;s Fire. In 1970 The Velvet Underground recorded its first and only single. It featured on its A-side a cover of Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love and on the B-side a cover of Love&rsquo;s She Comes in Colors. Later in the same year, on suggestion by Stevie Wright, the band would be joined by future AC/DC member, Malcolm Young, on guitar. In 1972, The Velvet Underground, who briefly were called Pony, became the backing band for Ted Mulry. During 1972 Velvet Underground would disband and Ted Mulry Gang would form with Velvet members Les Hall and Herman Kovacs. Velvet member Malcolm Young would go off and form AC/DC in 1973. TMG would go on to be one of Australia's biggest bands of the '70s with songs such as "Jump In My Car" and "Darktown Strutters Ball". AC/DC would go on to become one of the biggest bands in the world. In this episode, Les talks about how this Newcastle band, The Velvet Underground, went on to be the predecessor to these two massive Aussie bands of the &lsquo;70s.&nbsp;
Jack talked with Les live in the studio about his time in his first band The Cavemen, how he came to join The Velvet Underground, the Newcastle music scene in the '60s, the setlist the band played early on, the live gigs with Steve Phillipson, the recording of the bands first and only single, how Malcom Young came to join the band, memories of playing with Malcom Young, and how the band came to come to form into TMG.&nbsp;&nbsp;
"As we were walking out (of the Young residence), heard the noise coming from the bedroom and walked in and there was a big old wardrobe...Malcom slid one of the doors open and said 'that's just Angus'. He was in there playing with -he had an SG-he was playing along to Led Zeppelin on this little record player...We went to walk out and their father walked into the room and...we shook hands, his father pointed to the Wardrobe and said 'he's the one, he's the one'. - Les Hall on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Angus Young&nbsp;
Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins&nbsp;

   Les Hall Interview - Guitarist Of The Velvet Underground (Newcastle Series Ep #3) 

Jack Hodgins speaks with the people behind the music you love.

Jack Hodgins speaks with the people behind the music you love.

Vinyl Vibes

Jack Hodgens talks to the people who created the music that is the foundation of today's music.

Jack Hodgens talks to the people who created the music that is the foundation of today's music.

Vinyl Vibes

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