Songs About The Old Brown River

"Since Leaps & Bounds is a celebration of the musical hub that is the municipality of Yarra, we thought we’d like to do a tribute to the municipality,” the presenter of the infamous JVG Radio Method on RRR, Jonnie Von Goes says of the genesis of Brown River, a “variety extravaganza” now in its third year. He’s speaking in his perfect radio voice with a touch of Jack Thompson. “There have been a few songs written about Yarra — well, with any references to the region. Leaps And Bounds, the Paul Kelly song, features that ‘clock on the Silo,’ which is in the City of Yarra. We don’t do that — he’s too expensive! 

“But Mick Thomas from Weddings Parties Anything has always been someone who has written about where he comes from, and Mick and I sort of put the thing together pretty much, when he was the publican of the Yarra Hotel, which he’s no longer, so it’s shifted to the Fitzroy Bowling Club this year. So there are a few of his songs. I do a couple. I’ve always been very keen on people who write about where they come from in an intelligent sort of way.”

"I’ve always been very keen on people who write about where they come from in an intelligent sort of way.”

Joining Goes and Thomas on the night are Mikelangelo, another Yarra resident who writes about his locality, as evidenced on his album of last year, City Of Dreams, as well as Danny McDonald, Broads (who are half of The Nymphs), Peter Lawler and, in a guise of which many readers may not be aware, Angie Hart.

“We always have some poetry,” Goes continues, “Ian Bland [who of course presents Bland On Bland on JVG Radio Method] and Angie Hart will pen stuff specifically for the night. Angie does poetry on my radio show every now and then — she’s great — and she’ll be singing something too. And you can’t do a whole night of songs about the City of Yarra — it would just become a bit earnest and dull — so we sort of spice it up a bit. Usually someone sings Old Man River but we turn it into Old Brown River,” he chuckles. “So we do a few things like that to make it a bit fun. But we’ve got a lot of new ideas and don’t want to give too many of them away — Angie Hart may do a Joni Mitchell song about a river.

“So that’s the idea — a lyrical ode to the river and the municipality, and a knees-up as well, which is my idea of a good night. And we have the all-star Little Brown River Band, featuring members of The Band Who Knew Too Much, and [it] includes Pete Farnon from Boom Crash Opera on guitar this year — geez he’s good, a terrific player.”

Also on the bill is the President of the Fitzroy Bowling Club, none other than Dobe Newton from The Buskwackers, who’ll be performing The Whirling Furphies’ My Brown Yarra. All up, Goes suggests Brown River “celebrates the small pub culture of Yarra, as it exists”.