Williamstown 2022.
Williamstown Town Hall, 2014 to 2019, 2022 to 2026.
I announced to my older son the other day, “I’ve farewelled Williamstown”.
“What?” he said, “the whole suburb? The beach you love, the footy team at the Fearon, the school-crossing where you work?”
“No, the literary festival. I’ve decided the show has had a pretty good run there. Extraordinary, really.”
*
Stereo Stories’ first performance was in 2014 in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Sixty people there on a Saturday arvo. An accordion, a few acoustic guitars. Half a dozen stories.
We then moved to the Town Hall Ballroom and year after year the numbers increased…100, 200, 300, 400. Such local loyalty was never taken for granted.
Word got out. Gigs across Victoria and into New South Wales. (The Write Around the Murray festival in Albury for the past 10 years.)
Writers got onboard. Toni Jordan, Melanie Cheng, Jacinta Parsons, Andy Griffiths, Paulie Stewart, Brian Nankervis, ‘Smokie’ Dawson, Lucia Nardo, Rijn Collins, Nick Gadd, Jock Serong, Danny Katz, Katherine Kovacic, Maria Majsa and so many more.
Musicians got onboard. Stephen, Nils, Shorty, Peter, Rob, Julie, the two Davids, Matt, Reuben, Chris, Gemma, Laura, Martina, Luke…
The gigs got bigger than Texas. Eight-piece band, stage manager, lighting director, production company…
It’s been quite a ride but as the band sang one June night in 2019, all things must pass.
Thank you, Williamstown Literary Festival. Thank you, Williamstown audiences
*
“So, will you do other shows?” my son asked.
“Hopefully. If I hear from anyone. But, you know, smaller venues, shorter shows.Not so many musos and writers.”
“Pare it back?”
“Yep, and maybe base the gigs around launches of new volumes of the little Stereo Stories books.”
“Like you did in March at Kindred Bandroom?”
“Yep, that sort of small concert. Intimate.”
Williamstown 2018.
Williamstown 2025.
All photos by Eric Algra.
Vincent Maskell
Vin is founding editor of Stereo Stories and director/MC of Stereo Stories In Concert.
End of an era! Thank you for the music and the stories. Looking forward to the next chapter.
Here’s hoping we cross paths again, Katherine. (We have yet to do your Time Warp story!)
Thanks Vin – really happy that we made it to Williamstown for at least one great show. And thank you for Stereo Stories. My memoir comes out at the end of the month and you and Stereo Stories get a special mention in the acknowledgments.
Well done Vin and co. !
Could not have done it without you, bro.
Oh wow Vin, a big call. Things do get bigger and all consuming. I applaud you and all at Stereo Stories for maintaining such a beautifully crafted concept that encourages people to break out their shells and be creative. For me personally it has allowed me to get out from under my literary blanket to write and perform. Thanks Vin for all your efforts making a lot of people happy.
Jim
Well done – Ive enjoyed many of these. Maybe all of them actually :)
Bravo on knowing when to call it, Vin, though I will miss the Willy Lit Fest gigs. I’m so glad I got to be part of one (and at Port Fairy). All best for what lies ahead.
Thanks to the SS team. Have thoroughly enjoyed all the performances. I will miss it very much. I hope I can attend a future smaller event. X
Delighted to report I was one of the 60 in the audience back in 2014. End of an era indeed but thank you for the wonderful memories. Time to take it overseas Vin.
Well done. It’s a real skill to know when to pull the pin.
I had the experience of taking part in one on the Willi shows way back. 2017,at a guess. The venue is spectacular.
It was the first ever stage I had encountered that was raked (I think that’s the term). Basically the stage slopes from the back to the front, something from a different era.
Cheers, Luke.
SS goes out on a high! Thank you Vin for including Dad and me in the first ever show and me (sans Dad, sadly) in the last. It’s been an honour and a privilege to be part of these wonderful events. Thank you, too, for all the hard work you did in the background – crafting and curating – to build shows that audiences talked about for a long time afterwards. Take a bow!
Thank you for inviting me to the last Williamstown show Vin, although I didn’t know it would be the LAST last. All things must pass indeed; or at the very least, evolve. It was a privilege to see up close how you put such a show together.
Thank you, Chris. Recently I was in a place called Hobart – the hosts were very convivial – and I daydreamed of an intimate show in SoHo in a lovely small venue that seats about 50. Two musicians, two writers. A one-hour gig. That sort of thing…
It has been such a privilege and such fun to be involved, Vin, and you have done a remarkable job pulling it all together over and over again – calm, generous and visionary. Congrats and thank you.
Thanks. Once in a lifetime these opportunities come along. Down the track, Nick, we may find ourselves in a gorgeous little performance space, we may find ourselves telling stories about music, we may find ourselves accompanied by a duo or a trio or a quarter…