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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Lake Mac Choir lend their voices to honour the memory of Zoe Wright
Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts. Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts. Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts. Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sammy Hagar: 'The best was yet to come from Van Halen'
Sammy Hagar believes "the best was yet to come" from Van Halen. The 77-year-old rocker - who was frontman of the 'Jump' band from 1985 to 1996, before returning in 2003 until 2005 - was in touch with late guitarist Eddie Van Halen before his death in October 2020, and was keen to work with him again after learning he was playing the cello and experimenting with different instruments. Speaking on Detroit's WRIF radio station, Sammy was quoted by Blabbermouth as saying when asked if he has any regrets: 'Oh, hell no. Oh, no regrets whatsoever. 'I regret that we broke up, just to see what else we could have done. I would've loved to have made another record or two with Eddie writing.' Sammy loved his songwriting partnership with Eddie. He reflected: 'Eddie and I wrote some great songs together, and I think the best stuff was yet to come; it could have been yet to come, because Eddie was really reaching out on instruments. 'Last time I talked to Eddie before he passed, I said, 'Man, what are you playing?' He said, 'Oh, man, I've really been playing a lot of cello.' And I'm going, 'Cello? Holy shit.' [Laughs] 'Play me something, dude. I'm ready to write a song with you on cello.'' The Red Rocker went on to claim that his arch-nemesis, David Lee Roth - who Sammy replaced as frontman in 1985 and had three tenures with the legendary group from 1974 to 1985, 1996, and 2006 until they disbanded in 2020 - wouldn't give Eddie the space to experiment like he did. He said: 'As artists, Eddie and I were really capable of doing a lot of stuff that he couldn't do before me because the other guy didn't want keyboards. 'And when I walked in the room with Eddie, he showed me two guitar songs when I joined, on [the] 5150 [album] – he showed me Good Enough and he showed me Summer Nights. Those are two riffs he had. And then what did he do? He went and sat down at the piano and he started playing all this stuff. 'And I'm going, Whoa. What? He starts playing the riff to Dreams. He's sitting there playing Love Walks In. He's just playing all these things on keyboards, and I'm going, 'Whoa, I had no idea he was that good of a keyboard player.' So, he really wanted to expand as a musician.' Sammy believes Eddie had only touched the surface of what he wanted to achieve musically, because he was held back by the people at the top. He concluded: 'To me, I think that's what his dream would've been. 'And it was always held back by the record companies and the people around him. I think we would've broken out of that within a year and started doing some really crazy stuff.'
Pink Villa
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
BTS' J-Hope confirms title of 3rd single release post military discharge, everything we know about Killin It Girl so far
Killin It Girl is set to be the third song released by Jung Hoseok, aka BTS member J-Hope. As per a new video released on the group's X account, the singer's new single is likely to drop soon. In the video, the 31-year-old introduces his previous two releases, Dreams feat. Miguel and MONA LISA, alongside a woman, lightly dancing along to the beats of the two songs. The vibes of the tracks can be seen captured in the short clips, only to be followed by a surprising 3rd audio teasing his new song, Killin It Girl. Check out the Killin It Girl pilot teaser clip below. About Killin It Girl Titled, the Charm of HOPE, the video indeed manages to show the various traits of the BTS rapper via three songs. So far, it is not known if the new release will be accompanied by a music video or if it will be another collaboration track, however, the latter seems unlikely noting the absence of a featuring artist mention. The song appears to be worlds apart from his earlier two releases, with a stronger beat hitting the fans this time around. The announcement comes ahead of BTS' J-Hope's live viewing ot HOPE ON THE STAGE concert, to be shot in Japan. The same will be available for view in Indian theatres from May 31 as previously revealed by PVR INOX. End of J-Hope's solo projects The show is likely to bring an end to the solo promotions coming from the singer's end as he preps for group reunion. The seven members of BTS are set to reunite in June following the military completion of the other 5 members, while Jin and J-Hope continue to hold the fort down, having enlisted as the first two members. A new BTS album as well as a world tour is expected as Jimin, Jungkook, RM, V, and SUGA, come together with Jin and J-Hope post their national duties.
Sydney Morning Herald
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
What becomes of the broken-hearted? This show breaks it to you gently
What's it like to have your heart broken? It's a bit like looking into the face of a predator. Things get physical very quickly. Your body is flooded with a fear hormone in a process commonly known as 'fight or flight'. Weeks or even months later, in those very rare cases where heartbreak changes the shape of someone's heart, some people will literally die of a broken heart. New Zealand writer and performer Karin McCracken was so fascinated by this that she made a show called Heartbreak Hotel with creative partner Eleanor Bishop, co-director of their contemporary theatre company, EBKM. Part of this year's Rising festival, it is the most affirming, original and compassionate exploration of heartbreak you'll likely ever see. McCracken plays the show's hero, who explains the science of heartbreak to us and sings classic break-up songs. The old myths start being toppled in the first five minutes as she repeats advice from her mother: 'Exercise. Try something new … but the idea that time is a great healer should not be used, because for many people time stops … and it's a terrible thing,' she tells the audience. McCracken, standing behind a synth (something new) on a stage lit like a shabby club, then launches into a cover of the Elvis song that lends the show its title. Later, there'll be other covers, from It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion and Dreams by the Cranberries. The show immerses us — with utmost tenderness — in the story of a painful breakup. As this story unfolds, Simon Leary plays every other character: a bad Tinder date, a wise doctor, a supermarket employee, the best friend, and finally, the ex-boyfriend, whose invisible presence has haunted the show right up until the point when we finally meet him. McCracken began writing the show in 2021 when it felt, to her, as if the whole world was heartbroken. COVID provided a timely moment to explore the corners of grief. She and Bishop 'wanted to make a show about heartbreak that was useful,' she says. They were interested in a contradiction: how we have a huge pool of heartbreak stories to draw from, but often these books, movies and songs are built from the same 'four ideas' about how to heal. Let time soothe you. Meet someone new. Drink water and go running. Find a hobby. Her own experiences of heartbreak had led McCracken to think about whether the received wisdom was inadequate, so she returned to first principles. 'I'd been thinking [about] what happens to your body, because anyone who goes through a heartbreak will tell you that it's a huge period of change, and often, you get sick or you feel really unwell. A lot of people lose weight or look different.' She became fascinated by the physiology of a separation, from the minute you get dumped, to the weeks, months and years afterwards. What she found is consistently intriguing. In the first moments — when you're still sitting with the person who was, seconds ago, your long-term boyfriend — the body is flooded with norepinephrine, the fear hormone. This kicks off a cascading response from white blood cells, RNA (ribonucleic acid), and inflammatory proteins. Loading 'Our bodies think we can literally outrun or fight off a break-up at this point,' says McCracken, because physiologically we can't tell the difference between being dumped and, say, being attacked by a bear. The most startling thing is that the RNA that protects us from viruses is also stood down to funnel resources towards fighting the bear. Usually 'stars of the show', they now clog the system. McCracken points out the absurdity of this situation, which might last for months. 'So we're primed to punch through a wall, but more vulnerable to flu.' Weeks later the body is in its 'resignation' stage; 'if someone's going to die of heartbreak, it's in this phase,' says McCracken. There is even a rare syndrome whereby 'someone is under so much emotional distress their heart literally changes shape'. The show is carefully researched and, on one level, is a masterclass in science communication. It's also wildly entertaining. The challenge, says McCracken, was to bridge the gap between hard science, social science, popular accounts of heartbreak and 'anecdata'. The stage design adds clarity. Every time we return to the science, informative section titles flow along 21 LED panels behind McCracken, like neon headlines in Times Square. This light installation gives the show the lingering texture of a Las Vegas chapel at night. 'There is something relentless about neon to me, which feels appropriate for heartbreak,' she says. The power of Heartbreak Hotel also lies in the fact that it's drawn from experience; McCracken's vulnerability holds space for ours. I winced when McCracken's 'I love you' is met with Leary's pristine 'you too'. We have likely all been McCracken (or Leary) in this exchange. The show is serious about heartbreak, but it's also warm and silly. 'Some of the things we all do [in a break-up] are totally unhinged, so there should be a space where you can laugh about that,' says McCracken. 'Or, a space where you can manage to take the bits that are funny as funny, because there are plenty of bits that aren't.' Humour also underpins the pastoral care McCracken and Leary provide for the audience. Their performance is so naturalistic that audiences often mistake them for the couple they play. But they're actually long-term friends and collaborators. 'I love Simon on stage because he can drop into a character really easily and he also knows how to be with an audience,' McCracken says.
The Age
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
What becomes of the broken-hearted? This show breaks it to you gently
What's it like to have your heart broken? It's a bit like looking into the face of a predator. Things get physical very quickly. Your body is flooded with a fear hormone in a process commonly known as 'fight or flight'. Weeks or even months later, in those very rare cases where heartbreak changes the shape of someone's heart, some people will literally die of a broken heart. New Zealand writer and performer Karin McCracken was so fascinated by this that she made a show called Heartbreak Hotel with creative partner Eleanor Bishop, co-director of their contemporary theatre company, EBKM. Part of this year's Rising festival, it is the most affirming, original and compassionate exploration of heartbreak you'll likely ever see. McCracken plays the show's hero, who explains the science of heartbreak to us and sings classic break-up songs. The old myths start being toppled in the first five minutes as she repeats advice from her mother: 'Exercise. Try something new … but the idea that time is a great healer should not be used, because for many people time stops … and it's a terrible thing,' she tells the audience. McCracken, standing behind a synth (something new) on a stage lit like a shabby club, then launches into a cover of the Elvis song that lends the show its title. Later, there'll be other covers, from It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion and Dreams by the Cranberries. The show immerses us — with utmost tenderness — in the story of a painful breakup. As this story unfolds, Simon Leary plays every other character: a bad Tinder date, a wise doctor, a supermarket employee, the best friend, and finally, the ex-boyfriend, whose invisible presence has haunted the show right up until the point when we finally meet him. McCracken began writing the show in 2021 when it felt, to her, as if the whole world was heartbroken. COVID provided a timely moment to explore the corners of grief. She and Bishop 'wanted to make a show about heartbreak that was useful,' she says. They were interested in a contradiction: how we have a huge pool of heartbreak stories to draw from, but often these books, movies and songs are built from the same 'four ideas' about how to heal. Let time soothe you. Meet someone new. Drink water and go running. Find a hobby. Her own experiences of heartbreak had led McCracken to think about whether the received wisdom was inadequate, so she returned to first principles. 'I'd been thinking [about] what happens to your body, because anyone who goes through a heartbreak will tell you that it's a huge period of change, and often, you get sick or you feel really unwell. A lot of people lose weight or look different.' She became fascinated by the physiology of a separation, from the minute you get dumped, to the weeks, months and years afterwards. What she found is consistently intriguing. In the first moments — when you're still sitting with the person who was, seconds ago, your long-term boyfriend — the body is flooded with norepinephrine, the fear hormone. This kicks off a cascading response from white blood cells, RNA (ribonucleic acid), and inflammatory proteins. Loading 'Our bodies think we can literally outrun or fight off a break-up at this point,' says McCracken, because physiologically we can't tell the difference between being dumped and, say, being attacked by a bear. The most startling thing is that the RNA that protects us from viruses is also stood down to funnel resources towards fighting the bear. Usually 'stars of the show', they now clog the system. McCracken points out the absurdity of this situation, which might last for months. 'So we're primed to punch through a wall, but more vulnerable to flu.' Weeks later the body is in its 'resignation' stage; 'if someone's going to die of heartbreak, it's in this phase,' says McCracken. There is even a rare syndrome whereby 'someone is under so much emotional distress their heart literally changes shape'. The show is carefully researched and, on one level, is a masterclass in science communication. It's also wildly entertaining. The challenge, says McCracken, was to bridge the gap between hard science, social science, popular accounts of heartbreak and 'anecdata'. The stage design adds clarity. Every time we return to the science, informative section titles flow along 21 LED panels behind McCracken, like neon headlines in Times Square. This light installation gives the show the lingering texture of a Las Vegas chapel at night. 'There is something relentless about neon to me, which feels appropriate for heartbreak,' she says. The power of Heartbreak Hotel also lies in the fact that it's drawn from experience; McCracken's vulnerability holds space for ours. I winced when McCracken's 'I love you' is met with Leary's pristine 'you too'. We have likely all been McCracken (or Leary) in this exchange. The show is serious about heartbreak, but it's also warm and silly. 'Some of the things we all do [in a break-up] are totally unhinged, so there should be a space where you can laugh about that,' says McCracken. 'Or, a space where you can manage to take the bits that are funny as funny, because there are plenty of bits that aren't.' Humour also underpins the pastoral care McCracken and Leary provide for the audience. Their performance is so naturalistic that audiences often mistake them for the couple they play. But they're actually long-term friends and collaborators. 'I love Simon on stage because he can drop into a character really easily and he also knows how to be with an audience,' McCracken says.
