SPIRITS OF TASMANIA |
PATSY HOLLIS talks to
a Japanese potter who arrived in Hobart knowing
no-one and speaking no English, to settle
here and start an enterprise that exports
beauty and health products based on all-natural
Tasmanian ingredients to the rest of the
world. They are exquisite, but apart from
buying a ticket to Tokyo, where do you find
them? Find out more here. |
| FOGGY MOUNTAIN MUSIC | The sign
on the door says “Tassie’s
best little music shop”, the walls are decorated with vinyl discs. The
owner is Chris Bennett and he became involved with the music industry because
of the blues. “I’m
best known for selling blues,” he says, “along with jazz and country.” There’s
a fair bit of rock, too.
It all began with the blues way back, because this was a passion dating back
to his early teenage years when his friends were listening to The Beatles but
he was more turned on by those amazing black singers singers such as Otis Redding.
In another aspect of this lifelong passion, Chris formed the Launceston Blues
Club in 1998. The club meets for an official gig at least once a month at the
Royal Oak Hotel, sometimes oftener, to promote the blues, along with blues
artists visiting Tasmania and also to help promote Tasmanian musicians.
there is actually a growing surge of public interest in vinyls
and Chris finds he is selling more and more Foggy Mountain Music was set up in 1980, and since then the music memorabilia
has taken over walls and ceiling until there’s scarcely a spare centimetre
to be seen.
Although the discs on the walls are decorative, there is actually a growing
surge of public interest in vinyls and Chris finds he is selling more and more. ”It
seems the analog system gives a warmer richer sound, particularly for music
from the 50s, 60s, 70s, even the 80s, than when it is transferred to digital,” Chris
explains. “People like the artwork on the covers too. They do need to
have a good turntable, but it's not at all hard to get good needles.”
He finds he has to depend on imports for many of these, because in Australia
most vinyl-making machines have been scrapped, but it’s not so in the
USA or Europe. So one of the pillars of his business is searching out titles
for customers. He has a good collection of casettes, too, something the big
names in the record business have tended to let go. “This is a true independent,” Chris
explains. "There's no bulk buying, that's why I can offer such a wide
range." — PATSY HOLLIS
Foggy Mountain Music, 243 Charles Street, Launceston
(03) 6331 1566 | Photography by Alan Moyle |
