Local music enthusiast Greg Button and his business partner, polished muso Dave Lloyd, have recently set up Goolwa's exemplary live music venue, the Murray Delta Juke Joint, and it promises to be a winner.
Murray Delta Juke Joint
Greg and Dave aim to offer '
quality music in a quality venue with quality sound' and I'd say they certainly achieved this goal with the opening performances'. Their 'aim to please' attitude has a guest focus and they invite feedback on the music and the venue, and in particular sound volume. Dave asserts
'If you leave our venue with ringing in your ears, we've failed'. This is a heartening promise to the target audience who are generally in the Baby Boomer and Gen X age groups.
A hint of interior ambience
The venue itself oozes character and ambience. It is modelled on the juke joints of Louisiana and New Orleans in America's deep south. The fact that Goolwa is one of Australia's most southern towns is not lost here.
Murray Delta Juke joint oozes character and ambience
Chunky timber beams and sombre interior colours provide a backdrop for vintage posters and photos, taken by Dave on a recent trip to America's deep south, that set the scene for moody jazz or rhythm and blues. Candles (battery operated for safety) on the tables add to the mellow atmosphere. Friendly bar staff complete the welcoming impression.
Friendly bar staff
The legendary Steve Brown, with his band The Boogiemen, performed twice during the recent opening weekend to an appreciative crowd. The Boogiemen were supported by The Harmonics, a band I hadn't seen before but certainly hope to do so again.
Quality live music
The Murray Delta Juke Joint is licensed from Thursday till Sunday with beer, wine, limited spirits and soft drinks available. Greg and Dave hope to have food trucks on site in the near future. Events will be advertised on the Murray Delta Juke Joint Facebook page.
