Lincoln Piper

The music scene is thriving in the Illawarra if Wednesday night's first heat of the Mercury BlueScope Band Comp is anything to go by, says technical producer and MC Lincoln Piper.

"It was an absolute corker. I could not believe what a great start to the competition it was with the level of talent that is out there," said Piper, from LP Entertainment.


"If that was an indication of what is to come then it is going to be a really tough competition this year."


Wollongong band Lumiere won and will now perform at the Regent Theatre Concert Final on November 14.


Piper, who doubles as a trivia host during the heats, said music industry judges looked for a range of things when picking a winner.


"They get judged on musicianship, how talented and how much work they put into learning and fine-tuning their instruments, how well they work together as a band ... do they sound like another band, or do they sound fresh and new?" Piper said.


"Are they the next big thing for the music scene, are they marketable and can the band be recorded in a studio?


"It is important to remember that bands need to have a fairly high professional level for a recording contract because the costs of going into a professional recording studio can be big dollars.


"The final thing is their stage presence. Do they just stand there like mannequins, or do they run around and get the crowd going?"

- Illawarra mercury

He first entered the music world studying piano at seven years of age and he also enjoyed as he says “mucking around on Dad’s guitar when I was a couple of years older”.

But it all really took off when one day while walking down a bowling alley with his father they found a guitar case in a throw out heap and inside it was an electric guitar which Lincoln claimed.

Over the next 20 years Lincoln performed as a solo musician and with bands at many venues, including the half time interval at the football. As the initial passion grew and Lincoln studied at Wollongong TAFE and completed his Advanced Diploma of Music and gained a qualified certificate in technical production as well as a Certificate 4 in Small Business Management.

Along the way he was fortunate to meet the great Tommy Emmanuel and was privileged enough to have a guitar clinic with him at Manly. He also met the late great Billy Thorpe and worked alongside Marty Rhone, Angry Anderson, the Choir Boys and Screaming Jets.

Born at Perimbula the son of a policemen Lincoln saw plenty of the country as he grew up and his father moved locations with the police force, but the delights of Gerringong attracted him and he’s now lived there for the past six years where he has opened a business called L.P. Entertainment.

It is involved in many services in the music industry and includes a private music school at Gerringong which he opened this year and which specialises in tuition in singing, guitar, bass, drums and piano as well as theory, song writing and the formation of rock bands. And Lincoln also conducts Rock Band camps during the holidays called Zero to Rock God Band Camps.

Among the successful events Lincoln has recently been involved in is the Illawarra Mercury’s BlueScope Youth Band competition. Lincoln first became associated with this popular event last year and will again act as stage and band master this year and hopefully again in 2009 and 2010.

It’s the kids he revels in
But, as Lincoln freely admits, he likes nothing better than the excitement of teaching children and to see them “bouncing around the walls both in lessons and at home practising”.

In fact, he is such a role model to them that many of the students purchase the same equipments he has.

“I like to think I’m a true professional and a good role model when I am instructing them,” he says.

Lincoln offers free recording facilities and extra tuition for his students on Saturdays, and all those who teach at the Gerringong Music School are highly motivated, qualified and experienced players.

L.P .Entertainment also offers event management, organisation of music competitions and help with parties and concerts. It also has the facility to book you quality performers and bands for all occasions.

So popular has his music centre become that the school is filling fast with people travelling from as far as Nowra and Corrimal to attend.

“I have about 70 students now and with word of mouth publicity the public interest continues to grow,” he says.

Right now Lincoln, who is a talented composer in his own right, is working on a symphony titled “TogetherYoung” and which will be donated to a local charity.

You can contact L.P. Entertainment on 0431 992 142
- Your online community - John Brown

THE line-up is set for next week's Mercury BlueScope Band Comp Concert Final, after Mirrorsessions won the eighth and final heat on Wednesday.

MC Lincoln Piper, from LP Entertainment, said there would be some serious talent on the Regent Theatre stage next Friday.

"I am really looking forward to it, it is going to be a great, great night," Piper said. "Win or lose it is great exposure for the bands."

Mirrorsessions competed against six other bands on Wednesday night, all of which finished second during the previous seven heats.

The Sex Panthers weren't able to perform because a band member was unavailable, but they were lucky enough to be selected as a wild card entrant in the final, as were The Polaroid People.

They will compete against Lumiere, Atticus, The Jacket, Knightqueste, Assai, Inappropriate, The Flavour Sachets and Mirrorsessions.

Piper said Mirrorsessions, which he compared favourably to British rock band Muse, were deserved winners of the final heat.

"They were very tight in their knowledge of their instruments and were very technical as well," Piper said.

"They had a nice, clean sound, an alternate feel. They were very impressive and played some different stuff, and stood out."

The concert final winners will pick up a $5000 recording studio package and $5000 cash.

Piper said the 10 bands should work on tightening their music in the lead-up to the final.

"They should make sure their musicianship is polished and work on their stage presence," he said.

"It is not just about the music, it is about entertaining as well."


NEXT WEEK

CONCERT FINAL LINE-UP:

Heat 1 Finalist: Lumiere

Heat 2 Finalist: Atticus

Heat 3 Finalist: The Jacket

Hear 4 Finalist: Knightqueste

Heat 5 Finalist: Assai

Heat 6 Finalist: Inappropriate

Heat 6 Finalist: The Flavour Sachets

Heat 8 Finalist: Mirrorsessions

Wildcards: The Polaroid People and The Sex Panthers.


REGENT THEATRE

FRIDAY, November 14, 7pm

ENTRY $6, tickets from Regent Theatre Box Office


Get next Thursday's Mercury for your concert final official program.
- Illawarra mercury

About seventy people attended the launch of Kiama Futurecare at the Dunstan room at the Sebel Kiama Harbourside on Friday June 5th, 2009. A number of local businesses had displays. I was personally impressed by the eco silk grocery bags. http://www.ecosilkbags.com.au/ Lincoln Piper hosted and gave a frankly astonishingly good performance of his song about climate change. http://www.myspace.com/lincolnjpiper A workshop was admirably faciliated by Rafaele Joudry and put together a lot of good ideas.
- Topix Local News

Mayor to launch Kiama Future Care on World Environment Day

Kiama’s only non-political, grassroots, not-for-profit local climate care group – Kiama Future Care – is being launched on World Environment Day – Friday June 5th.

Formed by a group of local teachers, community workers, students, artists, doctors, engineers and business people, the group’s aim is to reach and involve the mainstream Kiama community in climate care.

Kiama Future Care takes an inclusive, non-partisan position and will focus on local community involvement, encouraging individual and collective projects to promote sustainability and reduce climate change.

The group will be officially launched by Clr Sandra McCarthy, Mayor of Kiama, at the Sebel Harbourside, Kiama, on June 5th, starting at 7:15pm. Hosted by local personality Lincoln Piper, the evening will showcase those local businesses offering sustainable goods and services.

The event will also include a workshop facilitated by acclaimed author Rafaele Joudry. Designed to identify the most serious issues and highest priority lines of action of those attending, the workshops will determine Kiama Future Care’s priorities for the next 12 months.

Attendance to the Launch is free. Light refreshments will be provided. For those wishing to eat before or after the Launch, the Sebel is offering a special 2 course dinner for $38 or 3 courses for $48.

The event is expected to attract people with an interest in lending support to local sustainable businesses, caring for our local environment, and helping to build a resilient community. Membership of Kiama Future Care is free, and anyone with a desire to help is encouraged to join on the night.

Media contact: Edwin Humphries, 0419 233 051
- Green-Change.com