Along with MOFO, Arthouse and Garageland, another cool little homegrown gig that seems to be evolving nicely is Polyphony.  The next Polyphony gig is on at the Cairns Crusing Yacht Squadron on the 26th of July.  According to organiser, and member of Polymantra Stephen Roberts:-

“We have scored some major musicians to join us for this one, courtesy of Jon Currie fusion drummer and experimentalist & all round nice guy.  Jon spent years in Europe and USA playing his music an is pretty well connected to the Australian music scene and local in particular”
 
“For this gig we have Aria award winning vocalist Jodie Cockatoo Creed (Yothu Yindi) plus Michael Porter, Paul Williams, Julian Young, Biri Jah and Jon Currie plus ubiquitous ukulele duo Bosko and Honey and Zach and Trish. It is shaping up already to be a big deal and the location is going to create an unforgettable backdrop and vibe to this exciting line up”

Polymantra is a Cairns based project that evolved from the shared desire of long time mates and Cairns locals Steve Roberts and Ray Cave to make a contribution to the vast musical universe that has pleasured them in so many ways, for so many years

Ray and Steve reached that juncture where many musicians either give it away, continue playing the material they were playing 30 years ago, or start a blues band. But they weren’t about to do any of these things. Call it Aquarian arrogance or the residual impact of too many substances, but these guys believed in themselves and their capacity and passion to develop something original – not just original lyrics and riffs planted on top of time wearied formats, but something that was quite different.

So they started playing around with a Yamaha RM1X and immediately recognised its potential with regards to not only composition, but also as a production and performance tool. Since then they have devoted their musical energy and creativeness towards bringing the sequencer and their own instruments (drums and guitar and vocals) together and sailing them into some interesting musical horizons. Polymantra music is a fusion of electronica, be bop jazz, rock, funk, with a strong surf and psychedelic undercurrent – with vocals tinged with just the slightest hint of Zappa

They spend many hours in composition, orchestration and then production to ensure that their studio and live sound is as close as possible to a group of musicians playing together – the only difference with Polymantra is that some of the musicians are flesh and bones and some live and perform only when the ‘on’ switch of the sequencer is hit

Polymantra believe that they have achieved their goal and are now taking their sound to the public to gauge the reaction. To date the response has been solid. Polymantra seems to speak loudest to those with mature and broad musical tastes and exposure and who are open to new sounds and experiences. That’s not to say that younger listeners do not also enjoy the energy and beat of Polymantra because they do – and it certainly gets them on their feet. But Polymantra’s main demographic seems to be the mid to older punter who likes to sit back with a wine or two and listen attentively and perhaps get up for a dance or jiggle their walking frames when the vibe hits them and their medication kicks in

Enhanced by some very psychedelic and ‘arty’ lighting, a Polymantra event is much more than simply sitting and listening to a band performing on stage

When – Sat the 26th July

Where – Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron, Tingira st Portsmith

How Much – $15 at the door