05 May, 2011
Garterbelts & Gasoline Nostalgia Festival 2011
Wowee - what a long weekend! Sorry it has taken me til nearly the end of the week to report back on my adventures of the Garterbelts & Gasoline Nostalgia Festival but it has taken me this long to fully recover (not to mention going back to work!) There was so much on over the weekend I think it will be easier if I take you through day by day but first, for those of you sadly not familiar with GB&G allow me to give you a brief rundown.
The brainchild of Paul and Amanda Biagini of Moonshine Traders, the Garterbelts & Gasoline Nostalgia Festival began in 2008 as a way to celebrate cars, music, fashion, art and all things Kustom Kulture and to make the most of the May Day long weekend. Originally held at The Bearded Dragon Hotel on Mount Tambourine, the event this year moved further up the mountain to take advantage of the fantastic views and better use of space as this annual event continues to grow.
Friday Night – Rockabilly Ball
Well after skipping out of work at lunchtime on Friday we packed the Tank Fairlane and headed up the mountain eagerly anticipating the weekend ahead. After about an hour of winding our way up some rickety (and slightly hairy!) roads and corners we pulled in to what would be our accommodation for the weekend – the cosy home of our lovely hosts Colin ‘Krash’ & Vicki Mitchell. The charming wooden cabin-style house complete with fireplace was the perfect setting for a weekend getaway to the mountains and Krash and Vicki were more than hospitable. After a couple of drinks on the deck and some tricky timeshare of the bathroom we were all looking our finest for a night on the town. St Bernard’s Hotel was our destination and what would affectionately become known as Rockabilly HQ throughout the weekend. Brisbane’s own The Sugar Shakers and WA act Rocket to Memphis kept the crowd entertained and dancing up a storm to kick off a wonderful weekend. Sadly I wasn’t feeling particularly well this night so I sat on one of the comfy couches and enjoyed the night from afar. Unfortunately this was also when my camera decided to give up the ghost so all the images you see in this post have been sourced from the GB&G page.
Saturday – Vintage Soap Box Derby
Despite not feeling well the night before I am nothing if not a stayer, so it was well past 1 am before we actually got home. However, the much anticipated soap box derby was not to be missed so a little the worse for wear, we rolled ourselves out of bed and headed to the top of the hill on Curtis and Long Road to watch a fantastic array of homemade contraptions race for the winning title. After plenty of thrills and spills and a whole lot of admiration of the extremely creative and skilled craftsmanship on display it was off to the Mount Tambourine Brewery for the announcement of the winners and to hand out the trophies. This was one of the highlights of the weekend as the weather was perfect – warm and sunny – ideal for kicking back with a local brew and enjoying the highly entertaining and talented Canberra trio The Fuelers. If you could manage to tear yourself away from the fantastic atmosphere of the brewery, the beautifully restored Zamia Theatre was showing a double feature of Pin Up Girl (1944) starring Betty Grable and Road Racers (1994) starring Selma Hayek. While unfortunately I didn’t make it to the theatre I’m told it was a great afternoon spent sipping a cold one and spreading out on comfy canvas chairs – what a way to end the day!
Go Turtle!
Saturday Night – Rockabilly Show
By far my favourite part of the whole weekend, this was a night I will remember for years to come! With so much talent in one room it’s a wonder St Bernard’s Hotel could handle it! Warming up the crowd was Harry Deluxe and the Cap Gun Johnnies (WA), Pete Martini and The Freight Jumpers (QLD/VIC) and Warren Earl and The Atomic Rockers (VIC/QLD) but the one everyone was waiting for was the Rusty Pinto Combo (WA). Formerly of Rusty and the Dragstrip Trio, I had never had the pleasure of seeing Rusty perform live and had previously only had CD’s and YouTube to enjoy his amazing talent but his reputation as an energetic live performer preceded him and the crowd were ready to give it to him from the get go. Easily the standout performance of the weekend, Rusty fed off the enthusiasm and energy of the crowd burning up the floor and stealing the hearts of us all with his amazing talent, unique style and voice of an angel. I later learned that poor Rusty had been under the weather and yet he had whipped the crowd into such a frenzy that they would not stop screaming for more until he played an extended set that ran overtime by half an hour, bringing our quality ‘Rusty time’ to a total of an hour and fifteen minutes – what a legend!
Rusty Pinto...swoon
Sunday – Hot Rod Carnival
After partying so hard the night before, the relaxed pace of the shine and show was a welcome change of pace. Held at the Mount Tambourine Showgrounds, we couldn’t have asked for a better day with warm clear weather and stunning mountain views the perfect backdrop for the shiny chrome and low rumble of the kustom rides and the rockin’ tunes lined up throughout the day. While it was definitely the cars that stole the show, the lovely ladies, market stalls and food vendors turned a simple car show into a fantastic day for the whole family. Us rockabilly’s know how to party so it was no surprise (yet still a delight) to see so many up and dancing in the grass on the oval (shoes were optional) to The Fuelers (ACT), Z28 (QLD), The Blackhill Ramblers (VIC), The Drey Rollan Band (NSW), Johnny Law and the Pistol Packin’ Daddies (WA) and Harry Deluxe and the Cap Gun Johnnies (WA). This was also the perfect chance to check out the Art Show and Pin Up Booth which were on display throughout the weekend. Displaying works from local artists both near and far the show included a variety of mediums that really was a feast for the eyes. Renowned pin up photographer Helen McLean also had a pin up booth to turn your average Jane into a Betty Bombshell in no time flat.
Look at this beauty...or should I say beast?
*I am in no way biased*
Sunday Night – Wind Down
Just when we thought we couldn’t party anymore we headed back to St Bernard’s – far be it for us to let the weekend finish without a bang! The Mayhem County Boys (QLD) kicked things off before the night slowly eased into The South Valley Syncopaters (VIC/QLD) and Pete Martini and The Freight Jumpers (QLD/VIC) but it was The Mayhem County Boys who had the crowd up on their feet movin’ and hollerin’ for more of front man Mitchy Mayhem’s famous energy and cheekiness. Playing a mix of original songs and some fantastic covers such as Johnny Cash’s 25 Minutes to Go they finished up with a roof raising all-in rendition of Ghost Riders in the Sky.
Sadly come Monday it was time to head home and while it was a hectic schedule with all the dancing, drinking and partying it was demanding on the body too but it was well worth the lack of sleep! I’d do it all again in a heartbeat and as I got half way down the mountain I was ready to turn around and keep partying. I can definitely say I am very much looking forward to next year which promises to be even bigger and better (is that possible?) Thanks again to Paul and Amanda for all the hard work that goes into making an event like this happen and to Cruizin the major sponsor and of course Mount Tambourine for letting us take over the top of your mountain for 3 whole days of non-stop rockabilly and big, noisy (sexy) cars!
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5 comments (+add yours?)
Well reported Sheri gorgeous - all of the above and more applies. What a super, super time we all had. Likewise, can't wait for next year.
ASTROGIRL aka Deebay
Thanks Deb glad you liked it :)
Fantastic weekend indeed. Do take the time to come on the High Tea Vintage and antique tour on next years run, was well worth the day out. But indeed a fabulous show, and weekend in an amazingly picturesque setting! Fabulously done Paul and Amanda, well done! - Thanks for the invite, you can be sure i will be returning next year.
Home turf! I probably passed you in the crowd.
Found you due to Ms suger.
Small world! Thanks for stopping by and I do so love Ms Suger ;)
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