BLUE GOOSE BAND

In the late 1980's Whistling Goose, one of Sydney's favourite jug/folk/goodtime bands, came to an end after more than a decade of entertaining Sydney audiences. Blue Goose represents the renewal of the musical relationship between three of the members of Whistling Goose. It combines Sonia Bennett's powerful vocals and guitar with the multi-instrumental musicianship of Max Gregory and Bruce Stavert and Andy Stavert on bass.
Blue Goose brings together a broad range of musical experience and skill and a love of music in many guises. Their many original compositions, interspersed with refreshing interpretations of songs of many genres old and new, combine with a whimsical approach to playing that makes them fun and great to listen to.

Band Members

SONIA BENNETT
Instruments:
Vocals and Guitar
Musical History:
Sonia is one of our most celebrated singer/songwriters. Not only has she written and recorded many renowned songs such as The Wollemi Pine and the Sydney Song, both of which have had considerable airplay, she has also recorded settings of poems by Henry Lawson, Denis Kevans, Billy Wye and others. She has performed on radio and television many times over a career spanning 30 years. She founded the Western Suburbs Folk Music Club and ran it for nearly two decades. She now runs the The Wisefolk Club. She has played as a solo act as well as with such famous groups as the Vinegar Hill bush band and Whistling Goose. She now performs as a solo act, with Loosely Woven, the Wollemi Bush Band and Blue Goose. She has performed at all the major folk festivals many times to great acclaim.

MAX GREGORY
Instruments:
Whatever is handy, including blues harp, National slide guitar, banjo and acoustic guitar
Musical History:
Max has played folk/blues/jug band music since the 1960's backing various vocalists and in bands including Strawberry Jam, Sunshine, The Overall Effect, Beedle-um-Bump Band, Whistling Goose, Wollemi Bush Band and Toll Collector.

BRUCE STAVERT
Instruments:
Piano, guitar, mandolin, ukulele and vocal harmonies
Musical History:
Bruce has played a mixture of styles in folk/jug band/bluegrass/rock/blues/jazz groups since the early 1970's, including the Oakstone Jug Band, the Barrelhouse Jook Band, the Ginger Rogers Bluegrass Band, Just Bluegrass, the Beedle-um-Bump Band, Whistling Goose, Spair Partz, the FAB jazz trio, Toll Collector and Out of the Shadows.

ANDY STAVERT
Instruments:
Bass, guitar and vocal harmonies
Musical History:
Andy has played classical, jazz, rock and blues on a range of instruments including French Horn, trombone, acoustic and electric guitar and bass. He has toured the west coast of the USA playing with a jazz stage band and is a member of the Toll Collector Blues Band. He studied classical music at ANU for one year before coming to his senses and dropping out.

Bruce and Sonia are song writers and some of their compositions recorded by Blue Goose can be heard at:
Bruce Stavert: :http://www.reverbnation.com/brucestavert
Sonia Bennett: www.myspace.com/soniabennett