CHANGES x Music Victoria Regional Showcase

As part of the 2018 CHANGES program, Music Victoria is proud to present Changes – Music Victoria Regional Showcase at the Grace Darling Hotel on Thursday, July 5.
Inspired by the Victorian Music Crawl, the night will be feature a line-up of some of the best regional Victorian acts around including Chapel, Nancie Schipper, Yergurl, White Bleaches and Bones and Jones.
Music Victoria Showcase Programmer Shaun Adams says the idea behind this event is to showcase the talent in regional areas as a way to boost their opportunities and current support. “When you look at acts like King Gizz, Stonefield or Didirri, acts coming from regional areas musically have a bit more freedom to be the acts they want to be; in a way they create their own scenes. But that next step of playing in Melbourne or touring can be a difficult one for some artists, so it’s important to find ways to give these acts exposure and create networks for them,” he says.
“When I got asked to program the showcase on behalf of Music Victoria, it was important for me to try and get acts from all over regional Victoria, almost like having acts representing each area. I also I wanted to make sure it was musically diverse to showcase the best up and coming acts”
We are pleased to introduce you to some of the very best in regional music…
BONES AND JONES
Geelong
Pictured Above
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music?
We grew up in Geelong/Ocean Grove and all listened to the same sixties bands who we started covering about two or three years ago… Then we wanted to make our own music.
How did you begin a career in music?
We’ve all played music our whole lives through our rents, but we really started to dig it when we began playing together and to people.
You’ve just released your debut album Living Given, can you tell us about that process?
We’ve been playing those songs since we started and were some of the first songs we wrote together. After playing them for so long it felt real good to finally record and release them for other people to hear. We recorded it ourselves in July last year at Jasper’s house in Footscray, and was later mixed and mastered by Mikey Young.
You recently went out on tour celebrating the album. What’s do you love about performing live on stage?
It’s really fun just locking in with everyone when playing and feeding off everyones style. Playing to different people is always fun getting different responses.
Where can we find you / see you play?
Listen/download at bonesandjones.bandcamp.com and see us play at CHANGES
Name one festival that you would love to perform at?
Meredith music festival for sure!
CHAPEL
Ballarat
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music?
My name is Guy. I’m trying to find some middle ground between film scores and dance music.
How did you begin a career in music?
I think my career in music started when I got my first drum at four years old. Although, I was using pots and pans before that. Back on the pots and pans now.
You’ve performed alongside Peking Duk in the massive carpark festival set for Ballarat, as well as Gold Fields, Teal AV and Wax Nomads for Karova’s 13th birthday. Have you had a favourite gig so far?
I think my best gig is always the next gig, I can’t wait to get out and play all the new music I’ve been working on!
Your track ‘Do The Marino’ went off last year, with support coming from the likes of KLP, The Aston Shuffle and Max Quinn; have you got anything in the pipeline?
It was lovely of them all to get on board. My next single ‘Drive Lights’ is coming out any day now.
Where can we find you / see you play?
I think my next proper show is at ‘Changes’! Once my new single is out, I’ll be keen to get out on the road.
Name one festival that you would love to perform at?
Dark Mofo; I would just love to go, and to play as well would be a treat.

YERGURL
Bendigo
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music?
I’m yergurl, but my real name is Fae Scott! I’m 17 and from Bendigo. I make music that I like to call “bedroom pop”, not because it’s necessarily anything like what “bedroom pop” is known as, but it’s pop that I make in my bedroom. Despite that, it’s made in a bedroom. I like my music to sound like it’s in your head, or like you’re floating in space. I want my music to create its own environment which puts you in your own lil’ bubble!
How did you begin a career in music?
I’ve been making my own music to some degree since childhood, but I started uploading to SoundCloud at the start of 2017. I didn’t think it’d go anywhere, and the idea of it taking off seemed like a distant dream, but I finally started getting attention on triple j unearthed and that’s when the shit CHANGED; that’s when I realised that my music meant something to other people and before I knew it, people in the industry were emailing me… SURREAL.
Making music in your bedroom while simultaneously in your final year of school, how do you balance it all out?
I don’t do it very well! Especially now that my career is really taking off, I’m finding it increasing hard to give any kind of tiny shit about school! But the truth is, I’m pretty good at putting in minimal effort and getting good grades. I’m super lucky, but hopefully lucky enough to get bomb grades on my exams. Pray for me.
Who have been your biggest musical inspirations so far?
This is the hardest question EVER for me to answer. I get little snips of inspiration from everyone and everything, but I get a lot of inspiration from 80s music, trap beats, LANA DEL REY, experimental stuff etc. But generally my songs have a pretty typical pop structure to them, so most pop artists inspire me more or less.
Where can we find you / see you play?
I’ll be at the CHANGES regional showcase for my first yergurl performance ever! I also have some gigs coming up later in the year, but I have no dates or places to confirm just yet! When I know, they’ll be up on my yergurl Facebook page and probably @yergurlfae on Instagram!
Name one festival that you would love to perform at?
I’ve been dreaming of performing at Groovin’ the Moo for ages now! I think it would be so thrilling and surreal to perform on a big stage in my hometown. Especially considering I’ve always been in the crowd, it would be weird but damn cool to be on the stage for a change. Plus I could guarantee that everyone I know would be there to see me!

WHITE BLEACHES
Surf Coast
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music?
I’m Ant and I sing and play guitar for our band White Bleaches with mates Jack Tyler and Hughey.
Our music is pretty garage, not many effects.
How did you begin a career in music?
Early days we all lived on the same street and had the same jobs pretty much, so we would jam on lunch-breaks and after work and whenever we had spare time. It kind of grew from there. We had no idea what we were doing, but that was the best bit.
Can you explain the process in creating your self-titled EP? Are you working on anything new?
For most of our releases we have recorded with Stu Mackenzie, except for our latest 7” release. We gave it a crack ourselves, he still mixed it though and made it sound way better. We are writing an album at the moment and going in to record the day after Changes fest. We’re doing it ourselves again so will have an album out by end of year, and hopefully another one not long after.
Taking to the stage at Kennedy’s Creek Music Festival last year, your set was coined ‘one of the best sets of the weekend’, what do you love about performing live on stage?
Yeah that was a fun gig! A lot of our mates from the coast were there which always makes it easier.
We always play our best gigs when the crowd is getting into it, we kind of feed off that energy a lot.
Where can we find you / see you play?
You can find us all over the webs – Spotify and iTunes and the YouTubes. Come see us play at Changes, and we’re also supporting the biggest legends Auntie Leo & The Backstabbers for their launch at Cherry Bar. Besides that we are locking down to finish album!
Name one festival that you would love to perform at?
Hands down Meredith Music Festival. It’s the only festival we go to.

NANCIE SCHIPPER
Warrnambool
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music?
My name is Nancie Schipper, I’m 18 years old and live in Killarney, a small rural town in South West Victoria. I write indie pop songs, coming from a background in country/folk, and my music is a merge of all the things I love about each of those genres! Late last year I released an album and am just about to put out a new single called ‘Long Fall’.
How did you begin a career in music?
I started out doing competitions (such as The Push Start Comps) and open mic nights, along with school performances. I was introduced to the local scene quite young and played my first pub gig at age 12, which gave me many opportunities to play live shows and develop stage skills over the years.
Your latest album, Sleeptalking, sounds scattered with various love songs, such as bag of bones and your eyes. Do you draw influence from personal experience for these songs?
Most of the time I take inspiration from my own life, and the people around me, however some songs are written about a specific emotion instead of a specific situation… ‘Bag of Bones’ for instance is about pushing through hard times and not allowing things to become too overwhelming.
Growing up in the small town of Killarney, did you find it difficult to break into a wider community of listeners?
I think it’s always going to be a little difficult to break into new areas, but I have to say that everyone has been super lovely and supportive especially in Melbs! I’ve been playing mostly supports for other artists around here, thinking that nobody would know me – but sometimes people start singing along to my songs which is crazy cool!!
Where can we find you / see you play?
I’m doing a lot of writing at the moment, so am a bit quite on the live front! I’m also in the midst of Year 12, which I am juggling with music. However, you can catch me soon at the regional showcase as part of CHANGES festival!!
Name one festival that you would love to perform at?
It’s gotta be Splendour doesn’t it?!