PATTERSON'S BAND
PATTERSON'S STEAM-DRIVEN BUSH BAND
A variety of music styles ranging from Irish, Aussie Bush through Country to Sixties, Seventies and Contemporary rock. In any one night there is something for everyone
Patterson's members are; Liam Chambers, (Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo and Vocals) David Veal, (Drums and Vocals) Andrew Currie, (Vocals, Dance Caller and Guitar) Julian Collins, (Mandolin, Guitar) Brent Taylor (Bass) and Allan Fowler. (Sound Engineer)
Pattersons’s Steam Driven Bush Band (Patterson's) began in 1978 at the Albury Folk Club, NSW Australia. The band grew from the need for a local band as Melbourne or Sydney bush bands were much too expensive. The original members were Liam Chambers, Phil Blakeley, Warrick Nottage, Steve Anderson and Phil Wardle. Within the first three years the band was working a steady two nights a week. This was continued for many years. In 1978 Patterson's made its first record sharing tracks with Lazy Harry and by 1983 the band had made another two records.
Over the years Patterson's has delighted and entertained tens of thousands of people between Sydney and Melbourne. They played gigs at Sydney Town Hall, on the steps of the Opera House, in the Sporting Goods department at the opening of K-Mart, Albury, on the hull of the local paddle steamer, the Cumberoona, at its inauguration. They have appeared on television and performed live on local radio. The bread and butter work of the band has always been playing for workplace breakups, weddings, 21st Birthdays, school functions and community celebrations and fundraisers.
In 1988, due to work and family commitments, Pattersons’s Steam Driven Bush Band went into recess coming together on occasions to play ‘freebees’ for some local fund raising event.
A few years ago Patterson's regrouped and began to recapture all the old material and adding some new and surprising songs. The band’s play list now includes a variety of music styles ranging from Irish, Aussie Bush through Country to Sixties, Seventies and Contemporary Rock. In any one night there is something for everyone. From the beginning and through many line up changes, Patterson's has maintained the philosophy that they are there for the crowd to help the people have a good time and enjoy their night.
Patterson’s performs regularly at the Electra Café in Dean St Albury if you ever want to catch up and see what they do.
Contact: Liam 02 60712715
E-mail: pattersonsband@hotmail.com
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GIG GUIDE
SATURDAY 19/4/03 Tallangatta Memorial Hall 8pm - 12pm
SUNDAY 20/4/03 Albury Wodonga Hockey Centre 2pm - 6pm
THURSDAY 1/5/03 Electra Cafe Albury 7ish - 10ish
THURSDAY 19/6/03 Electra Cafe Albury 7ish - 10ish
SUNDAY 4/8/03 Hands of Hume Albury 12pm - 4pm
WEDNESDAY 13/8/03 Thanks to Fireies Corryong 7pm - 11pm
THURSDAY 14/8/03 Electra Cafe Albury 7ish - 10ish
SATURDAY 8/11/03 Private function 8 till Late
SATURDAY 16/11/03 Private function 8 till Later
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PATTERSON’S CURSE IS BAND
The Truth About The Name
Fittingly at Albury, NSW in the year of 1978 a band formed that took a name whose local historic significance is unknown to most people, Patterson’s Steam-Driven Bush Band.
Over the years, the fellas in the band were asked thousands of times how the band’s name came about but they never told the real story. Now, after 25 years, the last living relative of the central character of this tale is dead and the full, accurate and true story can be told of this unusual name and its connection to local history.
In 1847, at the height of the Irish potato famine, Seamus Patterson journeyed out of Ireland and after many and varied adventures with the law finally arrived in Wodonga, Victoria, commonly known then as Struggle Town. “Struggle! you’d swear blind I invented the bloody word!” Seamus was often heard to say . Seamus had come to Australia following the excitement of the gold rush hoping to make his fortune; but, like so many, he ended up poorer than he had started.
He heard that there was work on the river around Albury and he made a living as best he could but things were not as prosperous as he had hoped. He searched for what he could do to really make a quid. One thing Seamus definitely knew how to do was to brew the fiery ‘Poteen’, an Irish spirit drink made from potatoes that would knock you dead for a week after two glasses. This was illegal of course not only in Ireland but in Australia and, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, this was the beginning of Seamus’ and many other people’s troubles.
Springtime 1848 was when Seamus decided to ‘make a brew’. At that time he was working for a wheat cocky somewhere north of Albury scouring the paddocks and weeding out the ever increasing numbers of Riverina Bluebell plants which strangle and spoil a good wheat crop. Riverina Bluebells were, like many other pests, introduced by some do-gooding foreigner for their own enjoyment and sadly, it got out of control and spread like a virus across the wheat country. These plants when fully mature are up to 150cm (5 feet) tall and have large sweet potato like roots…. With a potato famine in Ireland, Australia, like many other countries, was sending tons of potatoes to Ireland to help relieve the situation, consequently this meant that locally potatoes were scarce, in high demand and not to be wasted. Seamus was now living in a one room shack in among the trees along the Lincoln Causeway; here, he had set up his illegal still ready for production and prosperity, but to his despair the new enterprise was thwarted because of the lack of potatoes.
One wet afternoon as he was grubbing out the weeds it dawned on him that here at his very feet was the answer to his prayers. Was it possible that the large Riverina Bluebell root could be used instead of potatoes to make an Australian version of poteen. He gathered up a few sacks full of roots and headed home. The new brew stood in clay jars a week later.
There was a dance on that Saturday night and Seamus Patterson took a jug of brew to share with his mates. It was a hot night, the dance raged and the brew was cool and refreshing and some say that they had never known such exuberance. Next day the party still raged, nothing seemed to tire them – their wives were exhausted, the children over-tired and cranky, but the men danced on. No-one had ever seen anything like it before. They were fired up, full of steam, and ready for anything. Employers wondered at the energy of men they had labeled lazy and asked themselves Why? What could have made such a transformation? Soon the answer was obvious. Patterson’s Brew! the more they drank the more they steamed on and very soon the name stuck as Patterson’s Steam.
For a few weeks it was good. Patterson brewed his “steam” and men worked and played like never before, money rolled in but the pace was too much for all but those on the steam. Wives broke down, bosses couldn’t sleep for the clamours of the men for more work. Tempers frayed, fights broke out, and friend turned on friend. Those blue bells were now a menace for more than the wheat crops. Patterson had created a nightmare and people cursed him and the plant he brewed – no longer called Riverina Bluebells but now Patterson’s Curse.
Seamus was not a bad man nor was he without social conscience - he saw the danger of his steam and decided to stop production forthwith. Only one crate remained which he refused to sell or to open but he couldn’t bring himself to dispose of his precious brew. This crate stayed stored and forgotten in a shed on the Causeway until Grandson Gordon, who was known for his prowess on fiddle, discovered it while cleaning the shed. The Border and District folk club had just started up and one night Gordon took a bottle along. He shared it with a group of young blokes who were jamming on fiddles and guitars with some Irish tunes. After a few mouthfuls, the tempo quickened, the eyes widened, feet tapped louder and hearts pumped wildly. Music flowed, dancers erupted onto the floor and it was on! The rage had begun again.
By next morning there was a band, the fellas had gelled and they’d been dubbed,
Patterson’s Steam Driven Bush Band.
www.pattersonsband.com.au
www.pattersons steam driven bush band.com.au
Send E-Mail to: pattersonsband@hotmail.com
Copyright © 2001 Liam Chambers. All Rights Reserved