Mondays - Front Bar

A hectic summer of touring Australia, performing at Byron Bay Bluesfest and wooing crowds at Queenscliff and Bridgetown (WA) music festivals followed by two months of recording have kept Josh and the boys from their favorite stomping grounds around Melbourne. This July they return to show off tracks from their long awaited and highly anticipated debut Josh Owen Band studio album due for release later this year.

You can catch Josh playing his unique brand of modern soul, blending the best of British 70's riff-driven blues with hard edge funk at the Espy front bar every Monday this month.

“They tick all the boxes... Brilliant, talented and oh-so-very nice... (Josh) gave everybody a masterclass in how to transfer musical skill into a decent song” .... Roadkill (live review) FasterLouder.com.au 6 June 08

“His voice is rich and nuanced... hear the gravitas in his groove” - Simone, Beat Magazine

“The Josh Owen Band epitomise a perfect fusion of chunky riffage and feel-good soul bounce...” - Jesse Shrock, Beat

Phil Para is an outstanding guitarist/ singer/ songwriter and undoubtedly one of the most exciting performers in Australia. Phil’s distinctive guitar talents push all the boundaries and are combined with exceptional vocal abilities and a powerful stage presence. His energetic performance includes a remarkable degree of showmanship such as playing with his teeth and behind his head. Phil earns great respect from his peers and audiences alike and attracts a cult-like following wherever he plays.

New Zealander, Phil Para was already a professional musician at age 9 playing drums in his parent’s band and at 12 he began to teach himself guitar. Proving to be a natural and with Jimi Hendrix as his absent mentor and inspiration Phil’s talent soon grew to the point where he could accurately replicate the playing and vocal styles of the guitar greats including Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, & Carlos Santana to name a few. Phil writes many original songs, which draw from a diverse range of music with blues, jazz, Latin and rock influences fusing into a style of his own.

Phil’s performances combine original music with covers to create an exciting stage show that never fails to enthral. Based in Australia for many years now, Phil claims vast and loyal audiences of an incredibly varied mix of ages and backgrounds that have allowed him to work at least three residencies a week plus many other shows as well. Phil released his first CD “MESSAGE” in 2000 and has another currently in production. Renowned both locally and internationally many artists including Prince, Eric Burdon, Deep Purple & Metallica have all made a point catching Phil’s gigs when they have been in Melbourne.

Catch Phil every Saturday in The Espy front bar, free entry from 5.30pm

Free from 5.30pm

Collage was founded and hosted by Scott Woodhouse after a stint as Melbourne Co-ordinator of the Australian Songwriters Association (A.S.A) in early 2003. During this time Scott was contacted by PBSfm radio to hold a songwriters competition. Most of the 25 heats and finals were held at the Esplanade Hotel in the famous Gershwin Room. A month later, Scott was invited by the Espy to Host an unsigned / original music night. Collage was born, the name reflecting the variety of genres in music and the arts, particularly in Melbourne, showcased on these nights, however Collage has included acts from around Australia, the U.S.A, South America, South Africa, Europe, Canada, New Zealand and of course Tasmania. Collage, now in it's fifth year, has held over 550 shows with over 2000 individual performances and is constantly getting stronger. As our register of artists has grown so too has our list of contacts within the industry. This is advantageous to those artists considered part of the Collage Family, and is in fact the Mission statement of Collage. "To nurture and assist emerging talent providing a space for artists of all genres of music, and the arts, at one of Australia's premiere music venues, the Espy Hotel. To perform, network, share industry relevant-information and further support young undiscovered talent through sharing what we learn, referring them to other existing organisations and providing residencies. Collage artists range from gentle acoustic, thumping roots, indie and alternative style and rock and roll. Collage is held in the front bar on the main stage at the Espy Tuesday and Wednesday from 830pm with three to six acts playing nightly.