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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Artists + rockers = Barstars!

Mike Waddell, Gunther Gorman, Dave Twohill and Roger McCulloch.

AN unlikely group of classic rockers, craft artists and painters have teamed up to form The Barstars.

They’ll be showing off all of their talents when they stage their first group exhibition at the Yarralumla Gallery from October 30 to November 26.

On the opening day they’ll perform live and free at the gallery and the public is invited.

The Barstars comprise of Dave Twohill (drums, painting), Gunther Gorman (vocals, guitar, painting), Roger McCulloch (vocals, guitar, carvings) and Mike Waddell (vocal, bass, photographics).

Twohill was the founding drummer with very popular Mental As Anything for more than 20 years, earning him the distinction of being the “most charted drummer” in Australian Recording history.

He is also recognised as a painter and the Mentals were actually formed while the original band members were all art students at East Sydney Technical College in Darlinghurst.

Gorman studied with Australian painter John Coburn. As a finalist in the 2011 Blake Prize for painting, his artwork was in the Blake National Touring Exhibition 2011-2012. As a guitarist, he was a member of Daddy Cool, Sherbet, Ol’55 and for Richard Clapton.

A chance meeting between Gorman and Twohill at an exhibition led to the idea of combining art and music.

Singer/songwriter Roger McCulloch is a bush poet, musician, carver and stone mason. During a chance encounter at an “open mic” night in Cooma his abilities as a lyricist were noticed by Gorman and Twohill.

Mike Waddell is a Sydney instrumentalist who opted for an alternate lifestyle in the Snowy Region. Fate decreed that Gorman spotted him at that same open mic venue in Seattle and asked him up to play bass. Later, Waddell revealed that he was also a graphic artist and photographer.

The name of the band comes from from a “bush euphemism” McCulloch uses for people of questionable parentage.

The Barstars will stage their first group art show in Canberra with a live performance at the at the Yarralumla Gallery, near the nursery, from October 30 to November 26.

Hot Bush_by Gunther Gorman
Painting by David Twohill
Barsnake by Roger McCulloch

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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