New music and a new music label flourishing despite unpredictable Brisbane

JUGGLERS + MADE NOW MUSIC & GLASSHOUSE = COMMUNITY

I first met Caleb College [R]  and his mate Brodie Mcallister at the old Jugglers home turf [ 103 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley] somewhere around 2012. I have asked him to write a short reflective piece on the Jugglers slice of his story and how from our chance meeting - and there are many others - his career, their label [ Made Now Music ] has emerged into a new, energetic and intelligent platform giving voice to emerging musicians in Brisbane. Peter Breen.

I first met Peter in 2012 at an event run by a friend Molly Collier-O’Boyle called Paint it Red. I was instantly struck by Peter’s calmness, and slightly underneath this, his burning passion for the Brisbane artistic community. I became a regular audience member at Paint it Red and later became a performing musician at the series. I premiered some of my very first compositions and structured improvisations at this series and always felt incredibly supported and at home performing there. I started playing with trombonist, composer and improvisor Brodie Mcallister in 2014 at some Paint it Red gigs. The first few plays I remember being quite confronted. Brodie was always pushing experimentation and extended techniques on his instrument in an ever-unforgiving fashion. We started hanging out and playing more and I realised he shared Peter’s passion for experimentation, extension, community and Brisbane. We started premiering new works, collaborating with artists, improvising and organising a few one-off gigs at Jugglers, always with Peter’s support. After many chats with Peter, we realised that there was a gap in Brisbane’s music scene and the venue’s in which music was being performed at. It needed a place where music that occupied the sphere outside pop, classical and jazz could exist and be engaged with in an honest way. An idea sparked that has guided the last 3 years of Brodie’s and my life. We started a music label and concert series in 2016 which proudly called Jugs home for the first year and half of its life. The concert series gained momentum as we started releasing friends music and our little crew started to grow. Peter was constantly supporting us through the journey and without Jugglers this amazing Brisbane music wouldn’t of come into existence. When Jugglers closed it came as a shock and with great sadness to Brodie and I. It was a strong reminder of how brutal and fickle Brisbane can be at times. Lack of funding and support from government bodies for the arts crushes many institutions on a far too regular basis. Jugglers had been contributing hugely to the Brisbane arts and music scene well before Made Now’s time and it was an incredible pleasure to have been involved with Peter and Jugs for the short time we did. Made Now sought to find a new home, bouncing between a few other venues in West End and Fortitude Valley. We settled at Sideshow in West End, a circus training warehouse which we would turn into a venue 3 hours before a show. Brodie and I started getting sick of not having an established venue to turn too and inspired by Peter once more, decided to open a venue ourselves. In December 2018, Glasshouse was born. My dad and I worked over the summer whilst Brodie was in Europe building stages, acoustic treatment panels, pallet chairs, buying sound equipment and Bunnings work lights. In January 2019 we got the keys to a small little nook underneath a government building on Charlotte street, brokered by Peter. Brodie and I spent a month installing and decorating Glasshouse in preparation for the grand opening. Jugglers generously contributed some money towards the purchase of equipment and building materials, without it we wouldn’t have been able to realise our dream. In early March we opened our doors and Glasshouse instantly became a thriving hub of Brisbane music. We had 3 nights a week of music ranging everywhere between jazz, classical, electronic, improvised, ambient and experimental music. We hosted album launches, project launches, three different labels and concert series, interstate artists and university performances. We were flooded with bookings and had 3 shows a week booked up until Jan 2020. In June we were hit with an unexpected vacation notice and had to close our doors and pack up our thriving little community. Brisbane rearing its head once again. Brodie and I were honestly quite upset and shocked but once again Peter provided support and guidance. We were having coffee one morning before packing up Glasshouse and he said to us “just keep doing it, just keep going, its the people and the community that matters most.” Those words never rung more true and sadness was replaced with determination and a deep passion for Brisbane and the artistic community which occupy this amazing city. Made Now Music continues to release new music, moving from stride to stride and we have once again returned to Sideshow. We recently found out that they are closing down due to the landlord doubling their rent unexpectedly. The landlord only being concerned with money rather than contributing anything positive culturally to the city (the complete opposite of Jugs). This blow means we have to find yet another home for Made Now Music but has reignited the idea of starting another venue. Brisbane is always changing, growing, ebbing and flowing. Venues may open and shut but one thing that doesn’t disappear is the amazing people, artists and musicians that occupy this city. If they are here, then art and music shall continue to exist. Brodie and I were and still are consistently inspired by Peter Breen and Jugglers Art Space to contribute as much as we can to this vibrant cultural scene. The idea of community and bringing people together through art and music is at the core of why Brodie and I make music and Made Now Music is an extension of that. Swamp City Ride or Die.

#madenowmusic #mnm #calebcollege #brodiemcallister #glasshouse #unpredictablebrisbane