Saturday 17th March may be St Patricks Day for some, but it also marks the date of the Mordialloc food, wine and music festival that runs over the Saturday and Sunday. It looks set to be a great day out with a free Master Chef marquee (my budding chefs are dying to see this), as well as a fantastic feature Swing Stage where you can not only listen to some great tunes but cut a bit of a rug yourself. I popped on down to a Swing Patrol class in Fitzroy last week to see if I could keep up.
Given that many of my friends are seriously AWESOME when it comes to Swing Dancing, I have some pretty high standards to live up to. I’m more of a Rockabilly / Rock n Roll type dancer myself and it takes a whole other set of skills for Swing. For starters, dancing in my high heels (as I do for everything else), wasn’t a good call, so luckily I had a pair of back up wedges. Once the wardrobe was under control I could focus on what I needed to do. Being a glutton for punishment I walked right into an intermediate class, none of the other poor students being any the wiser to my novice ways. I was waiting for my first partner to spot the rouse and call me out, then send me back to the beginners corner. But (and I shouldn’t have been surprised by this), everyone was fantastic. Helpful, friendly, patient and just as lost as me on some of the moves. We had a great laugh, got rather hot and generally had a riot; so whether you’re much of a dancer now or not, I recommend heading down to the Swing Stage on the weekend for some 1940′s fun!
My instructors demonstrate why wearing stilettos for Swing Dancing isn’t really an option!
In the lead up to the event, I had the privilege of chatting with Australian Music icon, Wilbur Wilde. You may remember him from his Hey Hey its Saturday days, or even from his days with band Ol’ 55. Either way, he’s one hell of a sax player and a very interesting chap.
Wilbur Wilde and Frankie J Holden. Both performing together at the festival next weekend.
CDV:” There is a lot of interest in both your musical origins and the future of your career as it relates to Australian music. Do you remember a defining moment as a child when you knew you wanted to become a professional musician?”
WW: “I had a collapsed lung when I was ten, the doctor suggested I play a wind instrument so I started on clarinet and made the switch to saxophone when I was 13 or so. Participating in the school orchestra, cadet band and plays was fun.
I was encouraged by some good musicians and even if I hadn’t gone on with anything in later life I would and do look back at those times fondly. It wasn’t until I started year 12 that I studied music with mind to perhaps teach and play gigs on weekends. That didn’t work out so I just ran away with rock and roll bands during the 70′s and early 80′s.
I remember waking up one day in my mid-twenties and freaking out a bit that I was a saxophone player and wasn’t sure how it had happened. These days I play jazz and golf until the money runs out.”
CDV: “We’ve all heard the Hollywood stories of stars who started as bus boys, car wash attendants of insurance salesmen. Where did Wilbur Wilde start out?
WW: “I dropped out of monash after 6 months and joined a band playing at the rosebud hotel on Saturday nights, one thing led to another and after spending most of ’74 on the gold coast I began studying at the Sydney conservatorium but ran away with another rock and roll band (ol’55) after 6 months.
CDV: “Given that you musically came of age in the 1970’s, what is the significance of the name Ol’ 55 for you?
WW: “By coincidence it’s my birth year and on the 5th of the 10th too, funny yeah?”
CDV: “One of our readers contacted us to say their dad was the president of the Maquarie Towns Hot Rod club and booked Ol’ 55 to play as the rockabilly band in 1984/85. Given that you rose to fame about the same time as the Stray Cats, who were your influences in the Rockabilly genre?”
WW: ” Xmas just past I produced a segment for the nine network’s carols by candlelight and Frank Holden and Ross Wilson both sang Brian Setzer tunes in our medley so I’m still influenced by the Stray Cats at times. I also love the Sun Sessions (Elvis) and Jerry Lee Lewis. Gary Young (drummer with Daddy Cool and the Falcons) helped me to a lot of that stuff because he is a cool rocker and a great musician.”
CDV: “The former bass player for Ol’ 55, Neil Peppers is now this reader’s neighbor and also a hot rod upholsterer. Were you ever interested in the Hot Rod scene and how much, if at all, have these cultural elements influenced your music?”
WW: “I liked that happy days/American graffiti type stuff and had occasion to drag race a mighty ford x Ute with a 380 stroker motor and nos kit a few years ago. We used to have quite a few nice rods and customs in the car parks of our gigs during the late 70′s also. In those ol’55 days, people would come to jive dance to the band which was groovy.
CDV: “Your body of work to date has been quite expansive. Music, TV, film, radio; what advice would you give young musicians looking to broaden their talent base in a meaningful way?”
WW: “Do whatever you can, play whatever pays the bills and if somebody asks if you if you can act or do radio, just say yes and worry about the details later.”
CDV: “With so much on your plate, not to mention constant touring, how do you stay on top of your game and avoid creative burn out?”
WW: “Compartmentalise stuff and deal with it when you’re feeling in the right mood.”
CDV: “Coming from the era of live music & pub gigs, where do you see the future of live music heading? Will it be just the realm of festivals or do you believe Melbourne still have a strong live music culture?
WW: “I thrive on live performance and I believe there’ll always be a place for it whether that be in a pub, club, music bowl, theatre, radio or TV studio. What I try to make a point of is being there when it happens.”
CDV: “As a writer the lyrics to your pieces have much more of a narrative than the general pop music of today. Do you lament the demise of well-crafted lyrics in so many of the Top 100 today or is it simply something seen as an inevitable evolution of style?”
WW: “I love songs that have a tag or tell a story and I still listen to and admire the great Broadway/tin pan alley/brill building writers who aren’t going away as far as I know. I still have 8000 tunes I want to learn but not many from the current pop-crop I must say.”
CDV: “With the over saturation of ‘’created” pop stars at present, do you feel there is a battle to elevate the truly talented artist / musician above the noise of the crowd?”
WW: “Why bother? Play it and they will come.”
CDV: “We’ve heard a rumor that you’ll be playing sax for Springsteen on his upcoming Australian appearance. Can you tell us about this?”
WW: “When Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons toured America, I found myself in a spa with Clarence Clemens, he was a cool guy and a mighty powerful tenor player. I’m not sure if Bruce knows I exist.”
CDV: “Your upcoming show at the Mordialloc food, wine & music festival will see you playing to a very diverse crowd, particularly the younger punters who’ve come to cut a rug with some Swing dancing. You’ve seen the resurgence of interest in music of the 40’s, 50’s & 60’s in the 80’s before, what will you and Frankie J be bringing to this new generation of fans?
WW: “Frankie J Holden and Wilbur Wilde ‘‘on the prowl” …. bring a great sense of fun and hit after recognisable hit for the audience.
We have the drummer from Skyhooks (Freddy) who’s our mate and bunch of dear, musical friends with whom we perform regularly and hilariously. Come check us out yeah?”
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If you’re anywhere around Melbourne the weekend of 17th & 18th March, make sure to come down and check out all the fun. I’ll be making sure to visit the photography exhibitions, the Master Chef marquee and no doubt kicking back with some crepes and Chardonnay while listening to some Blues. All the festival details can be found on the official Mordialloc Festival website here. If you see me standing but the side of the Swing Stage in my practical shoes, take pity on me and come and ask me to dance. I promise not to step on you! 
