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Wouldn't it be nice to perform with Brian Wilson?BY ELLOISE FARROW-SMITHUPDATED 16 MINUTES

PHOTO 

Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson played with four women from the Byron Bay hinterlands at Bluesfest.

FACEBOOK: BLUESFEST BYRON BAY

Have you ever dreamed of being a rock star?

One day you are living your quiet life on the farm; pulling weeds from the garden, chasing children in for meal and bath times and somehow finding a moment or two to strum a few tunes on the guitar or play a few bars on the violin.

The next day ... you're standing on a stage before around 6,000 people with Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson perched at a piano only a few steps away.

Happens every day, right?

Four women from the Byron Bay Hinterland had that experience, pulled from their everyday, normal lives for an evening of making music with a musical genius.

PHOTO Two cellists and two violinists land the gig of a lifetime, playing with Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson.ABC: MICHAEL MACKENZIE

The women — two violinists and two cellists — all play together at different times in various ensembles. But this was described as the gig of a lifetime.

Violinists Sue Simpson and Oren Siedler said scoring the big gig all came down to luck and a bit of "who you know".

AUDIO 3:59Wouldn't it be nice to play music with Brian WilsonABC NEWS

"Having come from Melbourne and having done a lot of touring, a friend of mine from Melbourne gave me a call and asked would I be available and of course I said yes!" Ms Simpson said.

Oren Siedler said she couldn't believe her ears when she was asked, and it was an immediate yes.

But after watching a video online of Brian Wilson's performance with Elton John she began to wonder if she was up to the job.

"Elton John gets up at the beginning and says 'Hi, I'm Elton John and I just want to let you know how honoured I am to be sharing the stage with Brian Wilson; this is like a dream come true'," Ms Siedler said.

"I thought, damn if Elton John feels honoured to be sharing the stage with Brian Wilson, how am I supposed to feel?

"So then I started getting a little nervous, what if I play an F sharp when it's supposed to be F natural and Brian Wilson hears it?"

PHOTO Byron string ensemble (from left) cellists Robbie Farrar and Claire Yerbury, and violinists Oren Siedler and Sue Simpson.ABC: MICHAEL MACKENZIE

But as they say in the business, it'll be all right on the night … and it was.

The musicians, along with cellists Robbie Farrar and Claire Yerbury came off the stage beaming.

"It was great fun; it was awesome," Ms Simpson said.

"The male voices, that high classic Beach Boys sound, it was beautiful."

It was a big sound with 11 musicians in the core band and then eight extra for the Bluesfest performance made up of five strings and three brass who also doubled on wind instruments.

PHOTO Kudos to Byron Bay strings players from Brian Wilson and his band.ABC: MICHAEL MACKENZIE

As for Ms Siedler's nerves: "I was trying my hardest to look like I wasn't counting but inside I was counting one, two, three, four, two-two, three, four and hoping it wasn't showing on my face," she said.

"But it was so much fun and I felt very relaxed after the first few minutes.

"It was wonderful seeing the musicians having such a wonderful time and then looking out to the crowd and seeing all the beaming happy faces and thinking, wow, we are actually part of imparting all this joy to this room of thousands of people; it felt so satisfying."

Ms Simpson said she would love to one day get around to doing it again.

"I think the band really enjoyed playing with an extra bit of 'fat' with the strings and the woodwinds," she said.

"I hope they loved it because I'd love to come back and do it again."

The day after the night as a rock star, Ms Siedler's experience seems surreal.

It's back to vacuuming, loads of washing and caring for children but the good vibrations of her night as a rock star will keep resonating for some time yet.

https://youtu.be/GcrIZPErvCE

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-21/sydney-festival-celebrating-40-years-of-festival-highlights/6872286


When the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson requested a piano in his hotel room it was a chance for Mr Gulliver to meet his musical hero.

"We took a Roland electric piano up there," Mr Gulliver told Robbie Buck on 702 ABC Sydney.

Wilson was at the festival to preview his new album — That Lucky Old Sun — and spent his downtime penning new songs in his hotel room.

After delivering the piano, Mr Gulliver was left waiting outside the hotel room for staff to collect the road case.

"I could hear Brian playing the piano," Mr Gulliver said.

"I was standing there thinking this is like standing outside Beethoven's window; I'm hearing a genius compose music."

Wilson's guitarist Jeff Fosket came through the door and invited Mr Gulliver in.

"I said no, but he insisted, and I found myself sitting in a room across from Brian Wilson and he is writing a song," Mr Gulliver said.

He could not believe the scenario unfolding before his eyes as Wilson became stuck for a lyric.

"He said 'have you got a line for me Craig?'," Mr Gulliver said.

Mr Gulliver pitched a line to Wilson and the Beach Boy sang it.

"I had just written a song with Brian Wilson," he said.

Religious beliefs effecting a politician's actions? Never!!

Play Store has it in Oz now

Fantastic.

Great great job Edwin. Really nice touch seeing Anna and the strings too.

Brilliant.

From the bloke who gave him 1.5

It’s a treat indeed to hear those angelic vocals again: Wilson sounds as good on the track as he did almost half a century ago on God Only Knows.


Maybe he really knows his stuff and is talking about the Brian version, but somehow i doubt it .....

He's  changed his review. It  now says " You Still Believe In Me" after someone told him in the comments !

From the bloke who gave him 1.5

It’s a treat indeed to hear those angelic vocals again: Wilson sounds as good on the track as he did almost half a century ago on God Only Knows.


Maybe he really knows his stuff and is talking about the Brian version, but somehow i doubt it .....

Nice. Thanks Peter.
Greetings from Oz.

. Maybe it`s because those reviewers aren`t so interested in Blondie and Al working with Brian that they have such different views?

Yeah. Thats it. It really is a crap song, i just like it because Blondie and Al are on it! The reviewers got it right again. I mean its just a mash up of Sloop and Sail On Sailor.  I read that incisive review too. I wonder if he listened to it.

Jeez it's cool seeing Blondie up there.

After a few listens its a great album.
Sail Away and Last Song are getting the replay treatment.

Something about The Last Song. Maybe its the context but it really hits home. much like Midnights Another Day did.

So much for the crappy duets album some people seemed to be wishing upon us. 
Thanks Brian.

..

Stamos tweet.

Grt 2 be back w/ @TheBeachBoys. M. Love home from London raised over a mil for children's hospital. http://t.co/oBwoqWqd

 

If you haven't been following the news for a few year, the "civilized" countries, EU members, Australia, Japan are in perpetual economic collapse.

That'll be news to a lot of Australians! You might want to brush up on world economics.

Another Add Some Music - unfortunately we were sitting about two seats from the other video (the back of my head makes the odd appearance in the other one)!

http://youtu.be/UHpeKFrRQqw

Thank you for "Let Him Run Wild"!!!  Amazing!

http://youtu.be/HOsiSL8GYP8

. I know Al really likes the song and you could tell he was into it. Not sure about how Brian felt though!

I asked about that and was told Brian loves the song, just didn't like his vocal - as long as he doesn't have to sing it

Beat me to it!

Finished uploading overnight

Let Him Run Wild

http://youtu.be/HOsiSL8GYP8

Another Add Some Music - unfortunately we were sitting about two seats from the other video (the back of my head makes the odd appearance in the other one)!

http://youtu.be/UHpeKFrRQqw

Recorded right near me after Brian does his part in Surfer Girl you hear me go woooooh

as long as we can't hear the muppets behind you! Unfortunately my Let Him Run Wild has them all over it.

23 minutes summary of the gig:

http://youtu.be/R7hpSPGdWso

Check out at 8:42 - Brian and Dave mucking around - causing Brian to come in late - priceless! I'm currently uploading another Add Some Music which shows it a bit better and Let Him Run Wild - should be a couple of hours.

Awoken and refreshed

and so you should be!!

A few others wouldn't be saying that just yet. I wonder when the pub last had a Kiwi Haka at 3.00 a.m.

I've got what looks like a pretty reasonable video of Let Him Run Wild I'll put up when I get home  - if you are reading Scott, absolutely brilliant, as is Darian's Darlin. I'm glad they spread a few songs around.

Great, great show last night, and some great social activities as well!! Thanks Tony and everyone else who made it a great couple of days.

Ticketek are showing 2+ hours with an interval for the Oz shows (Adelaide and Melbourne). Should mean the long set with Pet Sounds and Add Some Music opening the second half. I hope.

Beach Boys: 8pm
Interval: 9.20pm
Beach Boys: 9.40pm
Event concludes: 10.55pm


edit - this was suppose to be in the Japan show thread re the shorter sets.

http://www.amazon.com/Can-Hear-Music-Beach-Boys/dp/B000066ACL

1. I Can Hear The Music 
2. Sweet Sunday Kinda Love 
3. The Trader 
4. Livin With A Heartache 
5. Girl Dont Tell Me 
6. Marcella 
7. God Only Knows 
8. San Miguel 
9. Only With You 
10. Darlin 
11. This Whole World 
12. Full Sail 
13. Palisades Park 
14. Long Promised Road 
15. Good Timin 
16. The Night Was So Young 
17. Wild Honey 
18. Good Vibrations 
19. Steamboat 
20. She Belives In Love Again 

Just after I sat down at Darien Lakes a couple of  40 ish ladies sat down behind me.

"these seats are great, the only thing that could be better was if John Stamos was here."

They were somewhat taken aback by my scream!

Stuffed if I can work out how this works!

Tried for 2 for Sydney at the "My Ticketek" presale started today. Nothing decent came up (right on opening). Checked Brisbane, out of curiosity - nothing decent.

Been out for a few hours, just out of interest checked what Brisbane has npw - "limited Diamond" it says. Put in 1 ticket - comes back with very front row (admittedly to one side, Bruce side even!)

I haven't seen anything, anywhere in about the first ten rows without going through the VIP site. Dunno where that seat came from!