Description

Throughout the '60s and '70s, South Melbourne’s Armstrong Studios (later to be called AAV and Metropolis) was Australia’s equivalent to London’s Abbey Road Studio. Led by the doyen of record producers Bill Armstrong, it was a hit factory for iconic acts such as Daddy Cool, John Farnham, Little River Band and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was also a breeding ground for a succession of esteemed record producers including Roger Savage, Ted Albert, Ron Tudor, Ernie Rose, Johnny Young, Molly Meldrum, Doug Brady and Tony Cohen, who created the tough Melbourne rock sound there. Join us for a panel discussion and stories and come for an enlightening trip down memory lane and the soundtrack to our lives.

What's On

The key event consists of a panel discussion, moderated by award winning music journalist, TV presenter, broadcaster and author, Jane Gazzo, with special guests: Roger Savage, producer and engineer (the Rolling Stones, the Easybeats, Return of the Jedi and Mad Max soundtracks);  Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and solo artist), John Olson, producer and co-author of Tony Cohen’s biography Half Deaf, Completely Mad; Ernie Rose, producer (Little River Band, Split Enz). Led by Jane Gazzo, the panel discussion will be a conversation about the Australian music industry and the recording business from the perspectives of the producers, engineers and artists. The conversation will give insight into the creation of some of the most popular and iconic music that Australia has produced over the last 50 years, recorded at Armstrong Studios.

In Collaboration With:

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  John Olson

  John is a researcher of film, television, radio and music history. An engineer at Soundpark in Melbourne, he conducted oral history interviews for the National Film and Sound Archive and is the co-author of Tony Cohen's memoir Half Deaf, Completely Mad.

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  Roger Savage

  Roger is one of Australia's most distinguished producers and recording engineers. Prior to his arrival from England in 1964, he engineered the Rolling Stones' debut single. One of the founding staff at Armstrong' Studios, he has also mixed for over 80 films including Mad Max and Moulin Rouge, the latter for which he won an Oscar and a BAFTA award. 

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  Mick Harvey

  Renowned musician, record producer and composer Mick Harvey is perhaps best known as a member of The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds and for his work with PJ Harvey and Nick Cave. Aside from scoring 10 feature films and numerous short films and documentaries, Harvey has also released 10 solo albums in the last 2 decades.