samantha in the media

Roundabout - chatting about all things environment
3MDR
hosted by Graham 'Bealy' Beal
4 Sep 2014

Awesome way to save platypus
Mail Newspapers
by Caitlin McArthur
9 Sep 2014

hills hoists the arts

Hills Hoisters and sponsors. From left to right:
Sound Engineer Dave Stergo, presenter Emma Johnson,
Cr Samantha Dunn - Yarra Ranges, performer
Carolyn Oates, presenter Jenny Hall, Community
Broadcasting Foundation rep Jon King and
Cr Graham Legge - Cardinia.

It's been terrific to be able to sponsor the Live Sessions on local radio station 3MDR, Hills Hoist show. The Live Sessions give local artists the chance to not only play live but they get a copy of their session which they can use into the future.

The Hills Hoist do a great job of showcasing local arts happenings in the Dandenong Ranges, it's great to be able to provide a helping hand to our local musos, who might not have an opportunity to record themselves.

I congratulate 3MDR and Hills Hoist driver, Emma Johnson, for their passion and enthusiasm for the local arts scene. They do a great job promoting the myriad of local arts events, no matter what the medium.

You can tune into the Hills Hoist every Friday at 1pm on 97.1FM (or stream here).

Hills Hoist thank their sponsors on youtube.

My attempt of reading the giguide on youtube.

belgrave bursting with buskers

Belgrave was filled with music on Saturday for the inaugural Belgrave Buskers Festival.

Organised by the Belgrave Traders Association, it was a great opportunity for local artists to hit the streets and perform to passers by as well as onlookers.

Competition was fierce with over 30 entries vying for cash prizes. Performances were split into three categories, Groups, Duos and Solo performances. Buskers performed throughout the town in four different sites.

The festival was a great celebration of local live music in the hills, it was great to see local community radio station, 3MDR broadcast live from downtown Belgrave.

I had the great pleasure of being one of the judges, my category Solo Performances, I was lucky to be helped by co-judges Dave Goonan (3MDR), Jenny Biddle (Busker of the Year) and Kieran Dennis(Burrinja).

There was enormous diversity in the acts making it a hard task to pick winners, but after much conversation and evaluation by the judges, a list of winners was announced for the day.

Here's first place Solo performer winner, Bryce Turcato with me and my fellow judge Dave Goonan. Bryce gave an amazing performance using a loop pedal, bass guitar and french horn he played some great tunes and it was his first public performance ever, he's got a great future!

In first place:
Group: Folk Train
Duo: Le Toot
Solo: Bryce Turcato

In second place:
Group: Fat Chance
Duo: Sista Suite
Solo: Sally Carter

In third place:
Group: Chestnut Street Orchestra
Duo: Jen & Hen
Solo: Ziggy Pop

My congratulations to organisers, I look forward to the Belgrave Buskers Festival become an annual event in the Hills calendar.

hills hoists the flag

Congratulations to Hills Hoist and it's presenters, Jenny Hall and Emma Johnson.

Pictured left to right: Jenny Hall, Cr Samantha Dunn and Emma Johnson in the 3MDR studio.

The Hills Hoist, local arts radio show on community radio station 3MDR (97.1) took out the Best Community Content award in a recent vote of listeners.

The Hills Hoist is dedicated to bringing the latest arts news to listeners in the Dandenong Ranges. They provide regular features, including the recently launched Live Sessions, and a weekly gig guide.

It's a great show and compulsory listening for those interested in the local arts scene.

hills hoist are live

I'm proud to be able to sponsor the new Hills Hoist Live Sessions on local community radio 3MDR. Click here for a youtube of the official launch.

Pictured left to right: Hills Hoist presenters Emma Johnson and Jenny Hall, Cr Samantha Dunn, local performer Guy Mallaby and sound engineer Dave Stergo.

The Hills Hoist Live Sessions will provide opportunities for local bands, musicians and singer/songwriters to play current material live to air whilst being professionally recorded for future playback by Dave Stergo.

Performers will also discuss their material, influences and other local musos and the local music scene. The Live Sessions were launched on the 2nd September, where local guitarist Guy Mallaby kicked of the live sessions for the year. It was great to be part of it and I'm pleased to be able to support live music on community radio in the hills.

party in the patch - the radio interview

Last week I had the opportunity to speak about Party in the Patch on local radio station 3MDR. If you'd like to listen to the podcast click here.

Here I am in studio with Hills Hoister, Jedi Jenny and Party in the Patch organiser, Kye Garrett. It was great to pop into the Hills Hoist on 3MDR (97.1), it was also good to have a chat about the circumstances around Party in the Patch.