Acoustic Cabaret with Nick Rheinberger

Nick Rheinberger is one of Australia’s most versatile entertainers, regularly performing solo, with a swinging blues band, in front of kids, as an MC, a poet, an actor and a comedian, as well as holding down a day job as an ABC radio announcer. At Humph Hall, Nick will be playing his vintage galvanised iron guitar and a collection of small instruments which barely fit his oversized hands. It will be a two-part show full of blues and hollers, poems and yarns, belly laughs and singalongs, Nick will be accompanied by the always-elegant Andrew Rankin on the double bass, and his albums “Do Tell” and “Short and Sour” will also be available after the show.

Nick comes from a family of notorious theatrical Tasmanians, and grew up watching his parents on stage. After briefly studying pure maths at university, he had a career as a professional busker with the “Pickled Herrings”, then went on to write comedy at stupidly early hours for several commercial radio stations, while also singing late into the night with bands like Canberra’s “Born Bluesers”. He’s since gone on to write comedy for tv shows such as “BackBerner”, “Good News Week” and “Life Support”, and for the whole ABC Local Radio Network through Humour Australia.

For the last six years, Nick has been the Morning Show host for 97.3 ABC Illawarra, while still somehow maintaining his career as a musician. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s developed a dramatic musical monologue around his roofing-iron guitar, called “Galvanised”, which had its first performances at the Cygnet and Illawarra Folk Festivals and will eventually be touring Australia.

Nick was featured this weekend on ABC 702 Radio as Simon Marnie’s Sunday Performer (10.45am, Sunday 11th July).

The support act was 'The Dingle Brothers' featuring Harry Dingle and Matt Dingle who were so popular in May when they supported the Ballpoint Penguins. Entry by donation: $10/$5 Visit Nick's MySpace site. See photos taken on the night. Hear audio recorded during the concert. (N.B. Freed of cables & microphones, Nick took the opportunity to wander the hall which is why he occasionally disappears from the soundtrack!)