Erin Pearson
ORGANISERS have re-appointed Melbourne radio personality and internet-accredited marriage celebrant Jon Von Goes as patron of Apollo Bay Music Festival.
The zany musician was unveiled as one of the faces of the event as organisers revealed the first group of acts set to star in April.
The music talent includes New Orleans Jazz legend Charles Neville, The Backsliders, Georgia Fields and her Pocket Sized Orchestra, Shane Howard and comedy duo Scared Weird Little Guys.
Von Goes promised the festival would be a “hit”.
While still “unsure” what his patron’s role entailed, Von Goes said he enjoyed carrying out the job at the last festival.
“Last year I got to sit in the back of a convertible Valiant in the parade, so I got my slow wave down pat,” he laughed.
“I was also compared to Willy Wonker by a child on the side of the road.
“I wasn’t handing out chocolate but I guess it was a compliment.”
Von Goes said he was “delighted” to return to “spruik” the musical talent destined for Apollo Bay.
“Apollo Bay gets this incredibly appreciative audience, a good mix of local and city folk,” he said.
Von Goes said the festival genres were “split down the middle”.
“What illustrates this really well next year is we have Charles Jenkins and the Zhivagos whose new record is one of the best you’ll ever hear,” he said.
“Then there are kid’s bands, also. Charles’ kid Henry, from the Cactus Channel, sounds just like James Browns backing band and will also blow people away. It’s a really nice illustration of the breadth of talent.”
The entertainer said Apollo Bay attracted the best in local, country-wide and international talent.
“You get some of the unappreciated amazing bands from the city, put them down somewhere like Apollo Bay and they just go off,” he said.
“You’re so close you can see the whites of their eyes.”
Von Goes said the most memorable part of Apollo Bay 2010 was the soft folk acoustic and jazz, the rock bands in pubs and a monk ritual in a church at 9am.
Van Goes will also be a performer at the next festival as part of his rock-pop band, JVG Guitar Method.
He promised a performance that would “swing, throb, purr and shake”.
“I’ll also brining my 20-metre microphone lead so no one can escape.”
Apollo Bay Music Festival will run April 8 to 10.
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