Auzzie Blackburn @ The Fern Jazz & Blues Lounge 27/10/22

If you google the Australian word Larrikin you will find that it means

"a person who acts with apparently careless disregard for social or political conventions; a person who is unsophisticated but likeable and good-hearted, 'a rough diamond'; a joker"

Auzzie Blackburn is a larrikin through and through and although I wouldn't say he is unsophisticated, I would definitely say that he has a FK you if you don't like me, this is who I am kind of attitude, a diamond in the rough whom I suspect once you penetrate the surface really has a heart of gold.

I met Auzzie a few weeks ago at The Woolshed where he made his SL music comeback when he stepped in, at the last minute to cover for another artist who had to cancel. He was understandably nervous as an injury has stopped him playing guitar so he was stepping out of his comfort zone, using backing tracks for the first time. There were technical issues but I still thoroughly enjoyed his set and found him to be personable and rather amusing as he spoke between songs, dropping a healthy amount of F Bombs as us Aussies tend to do. Chatting afterwards Auzzie asked me to give him a few weeks grace to get used to using the backing track before I blogged him, so when I saw that he was playing at The Fern Jazz and Blues Lounge tonight I decided his time was up, it was my time to blog.

I had never been to The Fern before so while waiting for Auzzie to take to the stage I took in my surrounds, finding it to be club rich in memories and decor of times long ago. Pictures of jazz greats Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Barbara Streisand adorned the walls along with pictures of performers who play at the club. An eclectic meshing of old meets new that works to make The Fern the charming venue that it is.

Aussie started his set with a few "warm up tunes" Suzi Q by CCR and Sensitive Kind by JJ Cale before picking up the pace with a great bluesy version of Gary Moore's, Walking By Myself . Continuing on, his voice rough and raspy Auzzie gave us a sexy, sultry version of Jace Everetts "Bad things" that had me wishing I had a special man slow dancing with me...lets my mind wander on that scenario for a bit.

JJ Cale's After Midnight and Lies had me appreciating the artist that Auzzie is for like JJ (who I am a huge fan of) I find Auzzie to have that very unique and raw sound that fans of JJ Cale knew and loved. That man to me was one of the most underrated blues musicians of all time and I find Auzzie to have similar tones and characteristics in his voice, making him that "diamond in the rough" that I mentioned earlier.

You can tell that Auzzie is loving being back in the SL music scene, his voice reflecting joy when an old friend he hasn't seen in a long time by drops by to hear him and from a few of our past conversations I have gathered just how much music means to him, as like many of us, Auzzie has his share of demons that follow him. Demons that he holds at bay doing what he loves the most, playing music and hitting the gym. It was with these conversations in mind that had me carefully listening to the words of a song that Auzzie holds dear to him "The Lost Boy" by Greg Holden. With lyrics like

And I will not be commanded,

And I will not be controlled

And I will not let my future go on,

Without the help of my soul

You could hear the passion and pain in Auzzie's voice as he sang the words. Words that we can all take our own meaning from, not necessarily what the song is about but how we interpret it. A song that I have since played a few times over. Auzzie will tell you that he is his own worst critic, striving to make each show a bit better than the last and to give his audience an experience they will remember and come back for. I for one, am looking forward to hearing Auzzie as he fine tunes his sets and continues to have blast doing what he loves.

Welcome back to SL Auzzie

side note: only thing that I would suggest is that Auzzie holds a guitar or mic as he is performing.