Earlier today we reported on a concert that took place in the parliamentary courtyard last night, featuring performances from the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Josh Pyke, and Suze DeMarchi.
The concert was co-organised by none other than Ewen Jones, whom we previously profiled as the Australian MP who, with his love of Tame Impala, probably has better music taste than you do.
Jones organised the event to get more politicians standing up for the Australian music industry, treating the sector as a small business interest and not an arts interest and providing more funding.
However, this music-crazed politician doesn’t just want to rock the Parliament House courtyard, he wants to rock the house to its foundations with a music festival on Capital Hill.
“I want to rock the house,” he told ABC News. Apparently, Jones reckons Parliament House is the perfect venue for a music festival and would like to see You Am I headline the event.
“I think this is the people’s music. I want the Queens Terrace cafe on the verandah out there looking down the drive to the War Memorial with electric guitars nice and loud… that says the people are in the house.”
Jones’ idea was inspired by action taken at the UK’s House of Commons. So who do you think would make the perfect lineup for a music festival at our version of the White House?
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Jones co-organised last night’s event on behalf of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Music. “This is the people’s music being played in the people’s house,” he said.
“We want to take this art form out of the arts portfolio and put it into the innovation and small business portfolios.”
According to Jones, the majority of artists make less than $10,000 a year. “We have to do better than that. You won’t find a more creative, a more innovative industry than music. This is perfect for our agenda,” he said.
