Festival to showcase Cobar connections music talent

While Cobar’s Running On Empty Festival
(ROEF2022) next month will be “all
about the cars” it will also have a focus on
music.
All of the live music at this year’s festival
has a local connection.
ROEF’s headline band, Edgecliff, who
wowed Cobar audiences on New Year’s Eve at
the Golfie, are coming back.
The young Sydney band, headed up by Will
Howell (who inherited his music talent from
his dad Jason Howell of Typhoon fame and
great grandfather Keith Mitchell from The
Tymekeepers) has been commissioned by the
ROEF committee to write and record an original
tune for the festival.
Their track to mark the 40th anniversary of
the movie, ‘Running On Empty’ was recorded
earlier this year at the Forbes Studios, Sydney.
It was then engineered and produced by
Calum Howell and mastered by Mike Tucci in
New York.
Edgecliff’s new track will be premiered at
ROEF2022’s Cocktail Party at the Cobar
Bowling & Golf Club with the VIP guests in
attendance the first to hear it.
Well-known Cobar muso, Shane Josephson,
the Cobar ‘God Father of Rock’ will be in
charge of sound, stage and light production for
most of the ROEF2022 gigs.
He will however hand over the reins to someone
else when he joins his old Burnt Earth
band (which includes Jim Sloan – lead guitar/
vocals, Paddy Bourke – bass/vocals and John
Wayne Josephson—drums/vocals).
Shane has also invited his nephew, Taine
Josephson, to bring his Brisbane-based four
piece alternative rock band, TAINE JOSO, to
Cobar to play as part of the festival.
TAINE JOSO has been described as a fusion
of Soundgarden and Tool, playing alternative
rock mixed with more progressive and technical
elements.
According to the band’s bio, “TAINE JOSO
brings metaphoric lyrics inspired by classic
literature to their expansive vocals and precise
musicianship.
“The band writes music that resonates with
people and hits on some element of universal
truth, bringing raw emotion and expression to
every performance and song, to create a truly
unmissable show.”
They list musicians Jeff Buckley, Led Zeppelin
and Devin Townsend, to name a few,
among their music icons.
“Ultimately, TAINE JOSO want every one of
their tracks to stand out from the other and to
have a story and landscape of its own.”
To date, TAINE JOSO has released four studio
singles and is set to release their debut
album later this year.
A fresh, newly put together group, Charged
Up, comprising locals Sam McBride (vocals/
guitar), Jake Muldoon (lead guitar), Stuart
Taylor (bass) and Aaron Francisco (drums)
will make their first live appearance as part of
ROEF2022’s Friday night line up of entertainment
at ‘Bands Night’.
And if that’s not enough, the band that stole
the show at the Gig on the Grass concert at
Cobar’s first Grey Mardi Gras festival in 2019,
Ballz n All Trio, have again been booked and
will play at ROEF2022’s opening event, A
Night at the Museum.
If locals and visitors are looking for a “home
grown” vibe, they will certainly experience it
in the great line up of music for this year’s
festival.