In 1994, Joe began touring with multi Aria award winning artist Wendy Matthews and the legendary Joe Cocker throughout Australia. Tours continued with Sarah MacLaughlan with Joe performing on several albums and single releases. In 2001 Joe Remixed the Lead Single Beautiful View off the album with the same name.

The High Tides of Wendy Matthews

By Morbid Molly

An unwavering, unexplainable urge to create, to muse, to convey…the musician, true musician, that is holds these values to the core placing fan and show at top priority when they share their talents with the world.  This is why we are privy to such a vast, rich culture within the music industry and why we are able to connect with incredibly talented musicians, like Wendy Matthews.

With an extraordinary wanderlust and spirited, gypsy vibe to her life Wendy seemingly has done it all, and then some.  Jingles, voice overs, firsts, lasts and everything imaginable in between and yet she is down to earth, real and one Hell of a talent!  It is hard to believe with a friends list of the who’s who of a vast array of genres, like Cher, The Little River Band, Sarah McLachlan, Rod Stewart and more.  But Wendy knew as an old-soul of four years old that music was her calling, a simple, divine truth that resonates in her life and music today.
“…It’s taken time to push through some personal barriers, I’m not a natural exhibitionist; I just loved music and singing.”

Heading into decades (with a plural) within the industry, a magnificent feat in itself, Wendy has progressed with the grace, humility and passion to grow as an individual and artist.  With more than humble roots, drawing from her passion for the Beatles in her toddler-hood, Wendy was almost pulled into the music industry from first step into the world and spurned on by her adventures of busking and travelling.

“Music is my form of expression so I don’t have much choice…” Wendy’s globe-trotting, musical mission led her straight into the arms of the industry, even if the path was slightly twisted and detoured along the way, or if you ask Wendy, “They were great adventures.”  Even so, she was torn by her love for the freedom and experience and her desire to find the path that would result in a pure, unadulterated happiness from within.

“I left Canada at 16 and a music ‘career’ was not on my mind at all. After busking for a year, I ended up in Los Angeles where I lived for 7 years and although I had some weird and wonderful adventures and worked with some amazing people, much of that was not what I wanted either.”

Whole picture, Wendy is a fairly open book but one that could take on a life of its own, requiring volumes instead of simple chapters.  From busking to LA and beyond, Wendy has done massive touring dates with some of the hottest in the industry, had many an accolade, headed some major bands (Models & Absent Friends), hit the ARIA charts and become a nationally treasured artist, met and worked alongside Japan’s treasure, Hiroshi Sato, as well as Aussie legend Glenn Shorrock (The Little River Band), been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, toured with Sarah, Rod and Cher…and this was still not even close to being within the prime of her career with her career still in full stride!
Wendy has also never been a slave to the genre machine, choosing to utilize the incredible diversity of the encompassing music community to enhance and transcend, bringing to light amazing collaborations in all niches, and creating under a different umbrella of sound and soul with her acoustic album and works since.  With the whispers of the song origins, Wendy says, “”To keep creative you have to break down your own personal barriers. With this record that meant moving away from pop and crafting something instrument-driven, something that feels like me playing live.”  With the likes of U2 and Massive Attack as inspiration, and Wendy’s phenomenal voice you simply couldn’t get any better!

Wendy’s mentality is that she will continue to grow and evolve with the industry and within the vast scope of her music. She has never firmly held to stylistic confines, with her career spanning a multi-faceted range of genres, but she truly holds value to her own vision of true music and the dynamic of her band…and the curtain hasn’t fallen yet.  Amazingly Wendy also spearheads an important facet of the industry and fosters new talent and makes music her own way with her independent label and brain-child, Barking Bear…there truly is no limit!
If depth of character comes from experience, then I do believe that Wendy Matthews is a textbook definition if I have ever seen one.  Make no mistake that Wendy has worked her ass off in her career and in her life, but she has seen and experienced what others can only dream.  The 80’s were fantastic, heading up what has become decades worth of memories, the 90’s collaborations, change and growth, and the opportunity to form her own solo career… and now the evolution and culmination of everything that she has worked so hard to achieve.
“One can always think of a purely utopian life and feel you’re missing out but I don’t feel that… Of course it changes over time, but I feel I tell stories and we’re all in this together so I just have to hope there are people who can relate. For me, music heals and helps and moves the maker and the listener.”

With a close-knit relationship with her friends, bandmates, peers and fans, there is a rather utopian vibe to her life and career, and the melodic expression that is her voice.  “Extraordinary, crystal-clear vocals […] a soulfulness that was the mark of a truly gifted singer” says rock historian Ian McFarlane, and I cannot agree more! As for the future?  Wendy has lead a charmed life of sorts, living the dream of doing what she loves, on her own terms so whatever the future holds, there is a magic on the horizon and she is “Super Excited!”.  The Sydney Opera House, collaborations, touring and a passion that Wendy has chosen to share with the world, “I’ve had a love of silver, mostly Navajo jewelry, all my life so I’ll be putting out a WM collection.”

Could it get any better from this lovely example of passion, strength, talent and …well kick ass women?  Sure, and we are lucky enough to be able to support her every step of the way. After all, what are fans for?

iOTA: composer, singer, feature film and stage actor, writer, dancer, voice-over artist, visual artist, rock star and iconoclast.  His unique and extraordinary talents have been recognised with no less than six ARIA Award nominations, four Helpmann Awards, plus Green Room and Sydney Theatre Critics’ Awards.

Most recently, iOTA has written, composed and starred in Average Joe (2016), and Slap and Tickle (2018) for Perth Fringe festival. iOTA was the co-creator of Sydney Festival-commissioned Smoke and Mirrors which twice sold out Sydney Festival Spiegeltent seasons and toured to Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Melbourne Arts Centre and Auckland Festival. The show was then brought back to the Seymour Centre in Sydney by popular demand, and collected three Helpmann Awards: Best Cabaret Artist, Best Original Score and Best New Work. For the 2012 Sydney Festival iOTA’s show Young, Hard and Solo sold out within hours and was one of its highlights. In 2015 his new showB-Girl was staged at the Sydney Opera House.

PRODUCER
Peter Rix

WRITER / DIRECTOR
Craig Ilott

MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Joe Accaria

CHOREOGRAPHER
Lucas Newland
 
COSTUME DESIGN
James Browne

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Matthew Marshall

CAST
Waangenga Blanco, Marcia Hines, iOTA, Hugo Desmarais, Yammel Rodriguez, Kitty Bang Bang, Chaska Halliday,
Zachary Webster, Sonja Schebeck

“Lucas Newland’s choreography, Joe Accaria’s musical direction and Matt Marshall’s lighting give all of these charismatic performers a chance to shine, and they do.” – The Australian

Regarded by many as the greatest musical ever created, Gypsy is the ultimate mother-daughter story – the sophisticated, gripping, funny and heartbreaking tale of Madame Rose, and her fight for her daughters’ success, no matter what the cost.

Set all across America in the 1920s, Arthur Laurents’ landmark show sees Rose, Louise and June grapple their act through the dying days of vaudeville, and the birth of a shocking new form of entertainment – burlesque. Rose’s fanatic determination pushes her family’s loyalty to breaking point, but from the most unlikely of places emerges one of the twentieth century’s most illustrious and ingenious entertainers – Gypsy Rose Lee.
The celebrated score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim is packed with classic songs, including ‘Let Me Entertain You’, ‘Some People’, ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’, ‘Together Wherever We Go’, You Gotta Get a Gimmick’, and the iconic ‘Rose’s Turn’.
Three-time Sydney Theatre Award winner Blazey Best (Miracle City, Only Heaven Knows) returns to the Hayes to take on the iconic role of Rose, with Laura Bunting (Rent, Calamity Jane, Assassins) as her daughter Louise.

The design elements are just as harmonious, with Alicia Clements’ simple, largely prop-based settings relying on Trent Suidgeest’s evocative lighting to define spaces. Even more impressive is musical director Joe Accaria’s rendering Styne’s score (originally for orchestra) with a band of four – and no synthesisers! – Sydney Morning Herald

Musical Director Joe Accaria has done new arrangements. “I’ve known Joe for a long time and when we approached him, he didn’t know the show. He’d done musicals but he’s not in the world of musical theatre, and that’s been really valuable because he didn’t approach it with a sense of weight and expectation from previous versions,” says Carroll. “He listened to the music and read the script and just responded to it, and so that’s been really exciting.” 
Limelight Magazine

Musical director Joe Accaria has given the brassy score a rough-and-ready rearrangement for a band of four, while cast members play instruments now and then. – Daily Telegraph

Director Richard Carroll
Musical Director Joe Accaria
Choreographer Cameron Mitchell
Designer Alicia Clements
Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest
Starring Blazey Best, Laura Bunting, Anthony Harkin, Mark Hill, Rob Johnson, Matthew Predney, Jessica Vickers, Jane Watt and Sophie Wright
Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Human Nature are Australia’s leading pop vocal group, having released nine albums (many containing their own, self-penned original material), five of which went to #1 in their native continent, selling millions of records world-wide and garnering 24 platinum awards, 18 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits. The group has opened for Celine Dion and Michael Jackson in Europe and Australia. Their chart-topping Motown tribute, Reach Out, went five-times-platinum, attracting the attention of famed songwriter Smokey Robinson, who recorded “Get Ready” with them and presented them in an exclusive booking at Las Vegas’ Imperial Palace, where they have played five and six nights a week to sold-out crowds for the past two and a half years. Joe has been their musical director in Australia since 2005 and Las Vegas for 2009.

Here & Now Tour – 2002-2003
The Motown Show – 2006-2008
The Ultimate Celebration of the Motown Sound – Las Vegas 2009
Jukebox & Christmas – 2013 & 2015.

Now, 18 years since its conception, Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS is still taking the world by storm. Part theatre, part rock concert, part construction site, TAP DOGS continues to draw audiences with its unique theatrical performance, one that combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing.

Musical Director since 2005 (Broadway Entertainment Group) – 2005 10th Anniversary World Tour, Novello Theatre London West End 2009, Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa tours 2010-2015.

In 1997-2001, Joe featured in Dein Perry’s Steel City, with music by Tim Finn.  The show toured Australia and culminated in performances at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.  Joe also performed in, and co-composed Eternity, Dein’s contribution to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The gender bending, glam-rock God iOTA is back in a brand-new, sexy-as-hell, theatrical concert experience. The award-winning star of international smash-hits Smoke & Mirrors, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Rocky Horror Show, iOTA brings his signature rock ‘n’ roll, vaudeville style, to this daring new stage production, B-Girl.

Directed by Craig Ilott and jointly written by Ilott and iOTA, Blazey Best stars alongside iOTA as B-Girl, a troubled young woman trapped in a bleak reality. As her situation worsens, she conjures up a vivid glam-rock fantasy where she escapes into the world of her alter ego Clifford North (iOTA), a rising star who represents everything she isn’t – powerful, sexy and in-control.

Created by the team behind the award-winning Smoke & Mirrors, this innovative theatrical experience features a live band onstage and all-original music.

iOTA said: “Smoke & Mirrors was really our first go and the experience has brought us closer together as people. We trust each other, we’re a better team – B-Girl will reflect that.”
Craig Ilott said: “In some ways Hedwig and Smoke & Mirrors were warm-ups to a show like B-Girl and the Playhouse at the Opera House was always our target theatre. We’re so excited for audiences to breathe life into B-Girl. Buckle up!”
Sydney Opera House Director of Programming, Jonathan Bielski, added: “We are thrilled to welcome the extraordinary artist that is iOTA to the Opera House, and look forward to seeing his incomparable rock n roll persona light up the Playhouse stage.”

Singer, songwriter and performer iOTA’s career spans five albums, eleven singles, six ARIA Award nominations, and a Helpmann, Green Room and Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Musical. He burst onto the Australian alternative music scene in 1999 with debut album, The Hip Bone Connection. His theatre debut as the lead in Hedwig and the Angry Inch brought critical and public acclaim, followed by roles in Sydney Dance Company’s Berlin, The Rocky Horror Show, Baz Luhrmann’s, The Great Gatsby, and the upcoming theatrical release, Mad Max: Fury Road. iOTA created Smoke & Mirrors for The Famous Spiegeltent at Sydney Festival in 2010 with director Craig Ilott. A complete sell-out, the theatrical phenomenon won three Helpmann Awards and five Greenroom nominations before touring to Adelaide, Melbourne, Auckland and Edinburgh then returning for a second sell-out Sydney Festival season.

One of Australia’s most versatile performers, Blazey Best recently appeared in Luckiest Production’s critically acclaimed Miracle City at the Hayes Theatre, for which she won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her theatre credits include Nora, Miss Julie and Medea at Belvoir, Much Ado About Nothing, A Comedy of Errors and The War of the Roses for Bell Shakespeare and ‘Yitzac’ in the original Australian production of Hedwig And The Angry Inch alongside iOTA.

Craig Ilott won a Green Room Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He went on to direct Love Song for Melbourne Theatre Company, The Pig Iron People for Sydney Theatre Company and The Pillowman for Company B Belvoir, which was nominated for six Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Director and Best Production. Other directing credits include La Clique Royale at Edinburgh Festival, La Bohème for Opera Queensland, Diamonds are for Trevor for Arts Centre Melbourne and The Composer is Dead for Sydney Opera House.

B-Girl was created by Lunar Hare Productions, a company founded by Craig Ilott, iOTA and independent producer Phil Bathols.

Praise for B-Girl:

“… it is, almost without exception, the most stupendously brilliant show you will ever see in your life.”

Sydney Morning Herald

“Director Craig Ilott and iOTA have created something special, that is the pick of the festival so far.”

The Brag

“Director Craig Ilott has created a show that is heart wrenching and explosive… Beg, steal and borrow to get there”

Adelaide Advertiser

“It’s rare in this job to have an experience that is so powerful it moves you to tears. That’s exactly what happened at the Sydney Festival’s Smoke & Mirrors.”

Sunday Telegraph

“A remarkable presence both seductive and repellent, jaunty and regretful, malevolent and desperately sad”

The Guardian (UK)

Produced & Arranged by Joe Accaria for Repercussions Productions
Recorded & Mixed by Adrian Breakspear @ Sony Sydney
Additional mixing @ Bear and Paris Avenue Studios

Mastered by Ben Feggans @ Studios 301 Sydney

Guitars/Vocals – Kara Grainger
Bass – James Haselwood
Keys – Clayton Doley
Drums – Joe Accaria

Album Notes

The first time I met DC was 2002 in a dingy rehearsal room in Ultimo, Sydney I thought, who is this guy and what is this voice that inhabits him? An instrument of mass detection, of singers spanning the history of modern music. And a brain that knows that history. Almost 20 years later my first recollections have been reforged into new musings. Now after countless tours and albums we are here recording another historical memoir of DC’s vast tapestry of knowledge and musical wisdom. A dedicated fan that respects their origin.

When DC shared with me the playlist that was to become this album, I took it in my stride all along knowing we both should try something a little new (for us) and texturally challenging, using fewer instruments than usual and highlighting that voice as one of those instruments. A story telling mechanism that is entrenched in his daily life as a father, presenter, performer, actor, writer and musician.

So, we did just that, took some songs and broke them down to their bare bones, deciding early on a small ensemble of authentically talented and likeminded friends would help steer the songs toward their destination. All brilliant musical voices in their own right, Clayton Doley (Keys), Kara Grainger (Guitars) and James Haselwood (Bass) came together with DC & I and provided musical solutions. We set some rules – just the 5 of us, in a room together, live with no strings, no horns, no synths (this time) just our instruments. We’re especially fortunate to have Kara on this record all the way from Nashville in Covid times. Some timeless songs sung by an unparalleled modern interpreter of verse, paired with recording and mix engineer Adrian Breakspear’s connection with us both and you have a collective consciousness after the same feeling. We hope you can sit back and enjoy our work whilst having a cuppa or preparing dinner or even a nice Rosè, and hearing these important stories performed by passionate musicians and THAT voice.

Produced by Joe Giuseppe Accaria for Repercussions Productions
Additional Production by Stu Hunter for The Habitat Productions
Music Arrangements by Joe Giuseppe Accaria & Stu Hunter
Choir & Backing Vocal Arrangements by Juanita Tippins
Recorded by Stu Hunter @ The Habitat Studio
Additional Recording @ Paris Ave Studio
Mixed by Adrian Breakspear @ Bear Studios
Mastered by Ben Feggans @ Studios 301 Sydney

Joe began working with Marcia Hines on Velvet in 2014 and tours ensued for the next 3 years. During this time Joe and studio collaborator Nik Pringadi began work on music for a new show featuring Marcia – Disco Inferno touring throughout Australia for the remainder of 2016 featuring with a reworking of some of Marcia’s timeless classic songs. In 2021 marks work on a new album The Gospel According To Marcia produced by Joe Accaria and co-arranged with Stu Hunter & Juanita Tippins. Out in 2022!

Australia’s beloved musical treasure Marcia Hines, with a career spanning five decades, has released 22 albums, selling 2.6 million copies, and has garnered countless chart-topping singles and multi-platinum records globally.
Marcia is an inspiration to women and Australians everywhere, constantly reinventing herself and setting industry benchmarks; moving from Boston Massachusetts to Sydney at just 16 to star in the Australian production of Hair, being the first black woman to star in Jesus Christ Superstar and advocating ceaselessly for diabetes.

Marcia was Australian Idol’s favourite judge for the show’s seven consecutive years, and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007. She received the Order of Australia (AM) in 2009 for her services to the Australian Entertainment Industry as a performer, judge and mentor, and to the community through a range of charitable organisations.

In January 2019 a new Spiegeltent production, set in the streets of Paris and titled Pigalle was the sell-out hit of the Sydney Festival. 2019 also saw Marcia starring in Saturday Night Fever at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre, and in early 2020 she became ‘The Dragon’ in the long-awaited Australian premiere of Shrek The Musical. This was followed by a starring role in the Adelaide Fringe Festival season of Velvet Rewired that again had the public and critics alike referring to it as the “Best show at the Fringe”.
However the global pandemic arrived and curtailed live performances in Australia, and apart from a short season of Shrek The Musical in Brisbane in January 2020, Marcia has returned to the recording studio and added three new songs to the upcoming greatest hits package called ‘Still Shining – The 50th Anniversary Collection’, followed by ‘The Gospel According to Marcia’ – an album of gospel songs that Marcia grew up singing in the churches of Boston.

The impact of Covid-19 on the life and times of the performing arts industry has become a concern to Marcia and she is now a spokesperson for #vaxthenation, the Australia live events industry’s campaign for recognition of the impact Covid-19 has had on this industry and the need for Australians to get vaccinated as quickly as possible and allow the business of performance to return to the stage.
The amazing Miss Hines and her never ending career inventions are a wonder to behold and have kept her at the pinnacle of Australian entertainment.

“The delicious sounds of Joe Accaria, (who was giving us Daft Punk and Mark Ronson vibes) greet you, making you feel like you’re walking into New York’s famous Studio 54” Aspire Magazine

“Mix master Joe Accaria oversees proceedings from the DJ booth, punctuation the soundtrack with inspired bursts of live percussion” Adelaide Advertiser

“Everything happens to the beat provided by Joe Accaria’s drums, and he is impressive” Glam Adelaide

“One of the most exciting, engrossing and intelligent pieces of theatre I’ve seen this year” Daily Review

“Sensationally entertaining, this trip to Boogie Wonderland is a gold plated hit!” The Times UK

ARIA NOMINATION: – Velvet (Original Cast Recording) – Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album

Director
Craig Ilott

Music Director
Joe Accaria

Soundtrack Producers
Joe Accaria & Nik Pringadi (Repercussions)

Set & Costume Designer
James Browne

Lighting Designer
Matthew Marshall

Choreographer
Lucas Newland
Amy Campbell (Rewired)

Original Cast
Marcia Hines, Brendan Maclean, Craig Reid, Joe Accaria, Chaska Halliday, Rechelle Mansour, Emma Goh, Mirko Köckenberger, Perle Noire, Stephen Williams

Rewired Cast
Marcia Hines, Ryan Gonzalez, Craig Reid, Joe Accaria, Olivia Carniato, Kyla Bartholomeusz, Beau Sargent, Ryan James, Deni & Marie

Disco Delirium – Joe album notes
Sounds like an incurable yet dance provoking ailment. I’ve had it all my life although never manifested like this – until Velvet. When Velvet writer/director Craig Ilott informally showed me the rough sketches of what was to be the idea of a show called Velvet, I wittingly signed up (in my mind) without even being enlisted through the normal channels one usually begins work on such projects i.e. being asked to participate. Naturally, when Craig asked I was thrilled and accepted.

Disco Delirium kicked in around November 2014 when my studio and writing collaborator Nik Pringadi and I witnessed each other’s hazy yet triumphant reaction to several hours of programming disco beats coupled with a residual foot tap and head nod – we were in the disco.

The fascination with disco can be traced back to hearing the Bee Gees’ Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in Sicily as a 7yr old. The lyrics and meaning slightly lost as my grasp of English was somewhat foggy in the face of a heavy dialect. What wasn’t lost and immediately evident was a connection to a beat, a pulse, and a groove with a solid foundation – the “4 on the floor” but with a catchy syncopation that was sweeping the world, even Sicily. The drums sucked me in early as part of the engine room that, combined with the bass, would propel the disco locomotive express to its destination – the club.
James Brown’s 1976 offering “Get Up Offa That Thing” served to introduce the teenage drummer to the “pea soup” – an onomatopoeic effect of opening and closing the hi-hat cymbals off the beat giving vocalisation of the slang music term. Then came Earth Wind and Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band, Barry White, Ohio Players, Donna Summer, The Jacksons, The Salsoul Orchestra and of course Chic.

Chic’s powerhouse rhythm section of Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson brought an unparalleled virtuosity and solid rock muscle to the music not to mention Nile’s rich orchestrations littered with wonderful countermelody and movement. Songs such as “Le Freak”, “Good Times” and “Everybody Dance” catapulted Chic to stardom and they continued to pen classic disco hits for Sister Sledge and Diana Ross. These guys were a rock band playing incredibly complex and syncopated music but also appeared on and produced albums for David Bowie, Duran Duran, INXS and Robert Palmer’s The Power Station to name just a few.

While Disco was seemingly thought of as a reaction to Rock, it’s domineering cousin, back in the 1970s it also gave flight to the notion that rock musicians also played disco and the music continued to influence generations of musicians including the DJs and dance music producers of today such as Daft Punk, Mark Ronson and Dimitri from Paris.

This organised melange of cross-fertilised old and new was the template and also challenge in producing this album born out of making the music primarily for the show. The balance in staying true to the brilliance found in the originals whilst giving the music a sense of period both then and now was ultimately the most satisfying feature of the work. The dissection and discovery of the complexity of this music served to enhance our understanding of the vital components that are central to its core. We trust we’ve served disco justice and you too experience a happy dose of Disco Delirium.