Blute’s Bar has fast become one of the Valley’s places to be since opening late last year in the Brunswick Street Mall, and latest event series Strawberry Jam is just another great reason to plant yourself on those comfy leather sofas.
The brainchild of The Artist Vendor‘s Melissa Donley, Strawberry Jam is a monthly invitation to women to share their music, backed by a female led house band. Men are also welcome to take to the stage in this safe space, where celebration and support of local talent is the order of the day.
Donley says: “We have designed the night so that all levels of experience can be involved. We are encouraging anyone to attend, bring their instrument or voice and have a jam. The idea is to get more women out of the wood-work and onto the stage”.
Realising that local industry nights were male orientated and dominated, Donley and her friends hit upon the idea for Strawberry Jam, where a strong female presence – whether on stage or in the audience – was key.
Donley says: “We wanted to create something that skewed more towards women and that would give them a platform to be more present in the music industry.”
Launching on June 26th, opening night saw a crowd filled with musos and passersby alike, with Donley, Jazzella Coogan, Julia Beiers, Gabrielle Lambe, Kaleah Scanlon, and Rheanna Leschke heading up the house band, and Katie Grey on sound. Local powerhouses Phoebe Sinclair and Chris AhGee were among the performers on the night, sharing their love of music with a receptive and entertained crowd.
Strawberry Jam will run once a month at Blute’s Bar, Fortitude Valley. The next event is set for Wednesday July 24th – check out the Facebook event for more info.
You can also follow Mel and The Artist Vendor team on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming events and other live music happening across the River City!
Header image credit: CTD Imagery
