Roaring Lion
-
Roaring Lion in Kooralbyn; My Two Worlds Meet
“You drive so much for us, Jo. We should come out to you. There’s a practice scheduled the week after the Nundah show. If you could find us some place to jam, maybe we can come out and make a weekend of it.” Maui. Lead guitarist, Roaring Lion That’s how this all started. Roaring Lion… Continue reading
-
Get Up, Stand Up, and Dance with us at Doo Bop!
Doo Bop Bar is on Edward Street in the Brisbane CBD. Its logo is a stencilled profile of a trumpet player. There’s a basement bar and a piano bar. The decor says: 1940s and we’re on 52nd Street. Downstairs, plush curtains drape the stage; a row of leather seats skirt one brick wall while a… Continue reading
-
Rehearsal before Doo Bop gig – video
Had practice in Pulpitation Studios in Browns Plains on the weekend. Getting ready for our first gig in the CBD at Doo Bop bar, June 10 2023. This is a bit of “War”. Thanks to lovely Derrin (Maui’s fiancée) for the footage. Continue reading
-
Wookie sees his first surfer
My band Roaring Lion had a practice on the beach at Surfer’s Paradise. Really, I know nothing about beach life, gazebos, barbecues… they teach me so much. Wookie saw his first surfer. Look at that sand. Coming from England, I cannot believe how even the most insignificant beach in Queensland is more beautiful than anything… Continue reading
-
Living the Dream
I cannot imagine how Alejandro Larrandaburu felt to be up there on stage, fronting our Roaring Lion band, three weeks into making a life in Australia — from Uruguay — second time around. He spoke to the crowd at the Koala Tavern in Redlands, and said: I would like to thank each and everyone of… Continue reading
-
The new face of Roaring Lion
Roaring Lion has been evolving in the first half of 2023, and we actually have four new faces to present to you. Over the past few months, several good people shared the stage with us, and we’ve finally decided how best to go forward as we strive to deliver Bob Marley’s beautiful message to you… Continue reading
-
Roaring Lion makes a special lady happy at Beenleigh Tavern
Before our gig at the Beenleigh Tavern on November 5 2022, our lead singer Glen posted a message in our group chat. “Hey family, we have a request from a local woman Cathy who would like to make it to our BT show.” Cathy’s message was: “Hi, my mum is a big Bob Marley fan,… Continue reading
-
Sunday arvo in Caloundra! Roaring Lion at Kings Beach Tavern, Sunshine Coast
Credits for photos and videos in this post go to Derrin Hill, Gwyn Naera and Aleisha Rangi. ROARING LION played to a packed house of Bob Marley fans at Kings Beach Tavern (KBT) in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, yesterday. My head is still in the clouds… KBT had a nice poster up! Our boys… Continue reading
-
Roaring Lion ‘Legend’ album rehearsal
Roaring Lion will be performing most of the songs from the Bob Marley ‘Legend’ album for a gig September 17 2022, at an event launching a new EP by Bradamon. With a 40-minute slot, it means shaping those songs and learning smooth, non-stop transitions between each song. I won’t be with them this time because… Continue reading
-
Roaring Lion’s Vince Rangi — a life of creativity
Vince Rangi walked into a Roaring Lion rehearsal in the second week I had been there and was easily the widest person I had ever met. He has muscles! But then he got on a mic and sang a superb falsetto above me. In rehearsal, he’ll casually pull out his camera and take footage. Then… Continue reading
-
MICK HUGHES – VIDEO PODCAST
My point of view is that every gig I play, I play it like it’s my last one. You just give one hundred and ten percent, every time. Mick Hughes Mick Hughes is a musician based on the Sunshine Coast, who hails from London and Ireland. He has a massively musical life performing in and… Continue reading
-
Roaring Lion rehearsal for Thirsty Chiefs, BBQ Bazaar and Banana Bender Pub!
Roaring Lion rehearsals are in studios and warehouses from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. We are always looking for places where we can be loud, with enough space for nine musos plus all their gear, at a time when we can all make it! This weekend we were at lead vocalist Glen’s church, where he… Continue reading
-
Happiness — playing melodica with Bojan
Roaring Lion had a three-hour practice in Yatala, at lead vocalist Glen’s church. (He’s the pastor! No wonder he has such stage presence, hey?) After we finished, I was packing up and could hear a melodica — what? Was I imagining it? I’m the only one that plays melodica in these parts! My good friend… Continue reading
-
Meet Roaring Lion — My Reggae Family
“Jo, have a listen to Ambush In The Night and Top Rankin’. They’re the next on our list of new songs. Plenty of horns in the intros.” That’s Maui, our lead guitarist, giving me a heads-up on what to prepare for our next rehearsal. In Roaring Lion, you got to practise BEFORE you come to practice There are nine of us and… Continue reading
About Joanna
Joanna is British Australian. She worked mainly in financial news in London. In her forties she moved to her parents’ birthplace, Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, where she became a pianist in a hotel and wrote a blog about musicians. The blog became a book before Joanna came to Australia in 2012. In this blog she writes mostly about music, gardening, and trips to Sabah. Oh, and Wookie the Havanese.
Post Tags
13th Street Films actor Agency 888 Australian film Beale Bob Marley tribute band Brisbane Jazz Club castings Chong Ali Continuance Pictures David Austin director garden Jacks jazz kangaroo keyboard player live music Melodica metal model orchestra pianist piano Queensland Music Festival rapper reggae reviews Roaring Lion roaringlionreggae Sabah SabahSongs book Scenestr Scenic Rim short film Sunnybank Theatre teaching The Fam Under This Sky UTS Valtozash violinist WookieTheHavanese writer Yap Keng Vui