Jordan Riddle to play Geelong NightJar
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Jordan Riddle to play Geelong NightJar

Over the past couple of years, Jordan Riddle has become a household name in the Geelong region. Whether it’s the swagger of his silky vocals or his reverb-crisp guitar work, he is definitely one to watch over the next few years as he continues to develop into one of Geelong’s finest exports. Talking in the lead up to Australia Day in the midst of the Festival of Sails on the Geelong Waterfront, it’s a very busy time, as Riddle relates.
“It’s all happening at the moment mate. I’ve got three gigs on this weekend and I am preparing to play at the NightJar markets in February. It’s a bit weird because in December things were starting to ramp down and there weren’t many gigs and I have so many now in quick succession. It’s good, though, to be busy and perfecting my set and sound. I like playing the family-friendly events because I can play some things that I don’t usually do,” Riddle said.
In terms of a sneaky setlist, Riddle relates that an Ed Sheeran cover and ‘You’re the One That I Want’ from Grease are what you are likely to hear in the upcoming days. Together with Sam Burtt from Residual fame, he is quick to state that 2015 will see the duo spark up some tunes and a possible EP to be released later in the year.
“We have been working on something for a little bit and it is slowly taking shape, but at the moment it is in a ‘watch this space’ kinda thing, as we continue to write and form ideas for the project. We probably won’t play the instruments that we usually play and it will be something that you don’t expect. It might be ‘Burtt and Riddle play all your hits’ and a bluegrass album. But seriously, it will be exciting when it’s all ready to shown to the world.”
Beyond the Pines is Riddle’s debut EP release and a set of songs that were written on the road, as Riddle travelled around America. “Definitely the single California was the catalyst for where I wanted my music to go. I was confused and I had all these people telling me what to do. I needed an escape and think I found it there. It’s a little ‘grass is greener on the other side’ kinda thing.
“I think that in America there is a lot more opportunity than in Australia, but given the bigger population it is harder to make a go of music.”
One of the upcoming gigs is Riddle’s performance at the NightJar Market in Geelong’s Johnstone Park. Kicking off at 4:30, you are likely to hear a whole range of stuff from Riddle’s back catalogue and some new tunes that will take the shape of the new EP to be released later this year. “I am excited to be on the bill at the NightJar. It seems to be a really cool family-friendly environment and I can’t to showcase some new stuff.
“I started to demo for the new EP two days ago in my studio and I’ve started playing a track called Faux. Be sure to come out and hear it live and see where my music is going to develop into the next little while.”
When & Where: Geelong NightJar 6 Feb
 
By Tex Miller

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