Eugene Ughetti - Speak Percussion
How long have you been living locally? What suburb are you in?
7 years, Thornbury
What do you love about your home town/suburb?
The diverse community groups, quality of the hospitality and creative sector and the fact that there’s space for people to be themselves. Darebin people are just as likely to appear in a dapper suit as a pair of moccasins, tie dye shirt or High-vis vest and no one is more out-of-place than the other.
What genre of music do you generally play?
Experimental music.
Are you a solo artist and/or do you play with a band? Would you like to list them?
I am the Artistic Director of Speak Percussion, a locally based percussion organisation.
Where is your favourite live music venue to play locally?
The Abbotsford Convent, it has a fantastic balance between a creative space, community feel, connected to nature and interesting acoustic spaces to engage with.
Where is your favourite live music venue to play in world-wide?
The KKL Lucerne, Switzerland is a stunning concert hall, it was the first venue I experienced anywhere with an echo-chamber. This allows for you to manipulate the length of the reverberation of the space.
If you could play with any other musician in the world, who would it be?
Steve Gadd, legendary American drummer.
Some artists have part time/full time jobs when they are not gigging – do you have one? (and do you want to share it?)
I’m lucky enough to have a full-time job with Speak Percussion. Ever since COVID we’ve been doing all we can to keep making work, supporting local artists and to find alternative ways to present music. Our latest project was fortunately picked up with the Melbourne International Film Festival, sadly originally it was supposed to be a live gig at the Thornbury Picture House.
What hobby have you taken up during isolation? (eg. baking sourdough!)
I’ve been cranking up the gardening skills, loving being outdoors and doing something both productive and physical.
What are you looking forward to doing again, post COVID-19 restrictions?
I’m definitely craving the warmer weather and would love a trip down the coast to the beach.
What has been your favourite thing about isolation?
Slowing down and feeling way less pressure to be on the treadmill.
What has been the hardest part about isolation?
There’s been a kind of foggy-brain syndrome which has principally come from an uncertain future. There’s been no way to think our way out of this problem. We’ve had to sit it out and watch the goal posts shift on a daily basis.
If people want to learn more about your music where can they head to?
