Aussie rock-legend Ross Wilson will be blowing the top off the super-tent at this year’s Stanthorpe Rocks music festival.
The frontman of Mondo Rock and Daddy Cool has still got the moves, playing around 100 shows a year in his various line-ups. ‘Mr Eagle Rock’ is also booked to play Day On The Green, admitting he loves a good open-air winery festival. “I'd say they're about my favourite thing to do, particularly if the weather is great; just getting out there in the sun, while everyone's being looked-after and having a great time.”
Talking about the generational divide between festivals that cater to older and younger crowds, Ross says it can be beneficial for the two to meet. “It depends on people's taste and who's curating the festival, because you don't want all festivals to be the same. I think the value of mixing it up, is that not only the younger acts on the bill, but the audience members too, can pick up some of the skills that performers, like myself, have learnt over the years.
“There is a certain amount of stage-craft involved that is very difficult to teach. And if they see me, or John Farnham, or whoever is really experienced on stage…we have an ability to make people pay attention straight away. They might go and ask themselves, ‘what was it that they did that galvanised the audience immediately?' They might learn something, if they’re smart enough.”As a musician who has been inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame twice, you’d think there wouldn’t be much else that could top Ross’ accolades. He was taken aback last year when he learned that Joe Cocker was recording his song, ‘I Come In Peace’, on what was to be Cocker's final album. “His manager in the last few years was Roger Davies, an Australian guy who back in the '80s resurrected Tina Turner’s career.
“I'd done a video of ‘Come In Peace’ and I think he stumbled across it on YouTube and thought it would be great for Joe. [Roger] told me that he had tried to get it on an earlier album, but finally got it up for 'Fire It Up' – so I got the call that Joe had cut my song and I thought 'Oh wow, that's fantastic!’. It got played on the radio all across Europe… he would open every show with that song on his final tour – he did about 80 dates. It's pretty spine-tingling stuff.”
Ross’ touring schedule doesn’t stop at open-air festivals. He is also performing on a South Pacific cruise in October. “Those boats are enormous – you've got 2,000 people on the boat so you've got to do two shows a night. I'm going with Barnsey; we get along really well and we've written songs together so I might get up and sing with him. You might think it's a bit funny being trapped on a boat with 2,000 fans, but it's not. It's great fun.”
Playing his solo material as Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks, audiences can still expect to hear the hits they grew up with. “I think they'll get what they expect, they'll definitely get a lot of the well-known stuff. I'll throw in a couple of newies; even things that I haven't recorded yet, just to see how they go.”
Ross is also performing three, east-coast shows with Mondo Rock, coined the ‘Besto Mondo Tour’ that coincides with the release of their best-of album. “I really like getting together with the complete Mondo Rock. When we get together it does sound different, it’s got its own, particular sound that you can't quite get without the five of us … It has progressed a bit, because equipment these days has progressed, so if anything we sound crisper and more modern than ever.”
Written Leisa Howlett
Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks Tour Dates
Fri 7 Aug – The Venue (Townsville)Sat 29 Aug – Gympie Music Muster (Gympie)
Sun 4 Oct – Narooma Blues Festival (Narooma)
Sat 24 Oct – Thebarton Theatre (Adelaide)
Sat 31 Oct – Jazz In The Vines (Cessnock)
Fri 6 Nov – Frankston RSL (Melbourne)
Sat 14 Nov – Stanthorpe Rocks 2015 (Stanthorpe)
