The Cairns music scene is in safe hands, writes Joeleen Bettini

Like crusaders of the night, DJ’s-cum‑event managers Cameron Kennedy and Jeremy Judd are household names on the entertainment front.

They are respected and revered by many for rescuing a potentially lifeless music scene from the depths of near extinction and enjoy an almost cult following in the region. Their local celebrity status is evident in the number of passers-by who stop to say hello during our brief chat at a corner café. Some, they sheepishly admit, they don’t even know.

But ask them what they make of their notoriety or their involvement in attracting a diverse cross-section of entertainment to the city and the masterminds behind Electric Avenue Events Management appear blasé.

“If we weren’t doing it we’d be chomping at the bit wondering who will,” Jeremy laughs. “But it (diversity) is something we aim for. Your regular clubs here are pretty generic in terms of entertainment. What we’re bringing is something different you know because that’s what we want as individuals.”

Since the promotions and management label formed 12 months ago, Jeremy and Cameron have been responsible for supporting or bringing to the region dozens of DJs and bands as well as hip-hop and R’n’B acts.

Among their impressive repertoire are international names such as Paul Van Dyk, Chuck Love and Lutzenkirchen in addition
to Boys to Men, Sean Kingston and Mixmaster Mike. On a national level, the boys have played host to the likes of Bliss n Esso, Koolism, Muph and Plutonic, Bias B and DJ Bonez not to mention Ash Grunwald, Anita George, Blue King Brown and Xavier Rudd. They’re also busily working on the Cairns Music Festival 08 planned
for December.

While their aspirations of representing international cash cows as big as U2 may sound far-fetched, when considering where these self-made gurus have come from, it seems almost anything is possible. Both started out as ‘bedroom DJs’, just boys with a passion for mixing music and sounds for their own enjoyment. Jeremy, originally from Adelaide, got his big break soon after moving to Cairns when an old friend managing a local club asked him to DJ.

“He knew I could DJ because he used to come to house parties where I played. He asked me to fill in one night and that was the end of it. He asked me back the next week and the next. I enjoyed it. I was sharing music that I loved with people who were loving it,” he says.

It wasn’t long before Jeremy J was a regular on the dance scene and within a few years his skills were being recognised on a national scale. He  secured multiple gongs at the Elec:Tropica Music Awards, released CDs through AKA and Triple J, toured Australia and held numerous residencies.

Cameron, who has also enjoyed success on the DJ front, says he too had a helping hand.

“My first muso job was as a roadie for Custard. I won this competition after buying their CD. I was basically their bitch for the day and thought: ‘This is pretty cool’,” he laughs. “I started working with Grafton Arts as a volunteer when I moved to Cairns and worked on probably three Little Day Outs before they changed the name to the Backdrop Festival. The last Backdrop Festival I actually programmed myself.”

By the 10th Little Day Out Cameron was spurred on to take up DJing for a living after DJ Dexter of the Avalanches told him to buy some turntables and mixers and go for it.

“That week I bought some dodgy turntables off eBay and a week later got my first gig,” Cameron says.

Both guys admit not every aspiring DJ is as fortunate when starting out, which  prompted Jeremy to launch his DJ school two years ago through retail and music store Tastey. While Jeremy has recently changed directions he continues, with the help of Cameron and Electric Avenue, to operate the courses.

“When I was a bedroom DJ in Adelaide and wanted to learn there was nowhere to do it. All the DJs were arrogant and didn’t have time,” Jeremy says. “But if you’ve got a love for the music and what DJs do then you should be given the opportunity … it isn’t an easy thing to learn on your own.”

In addition to launching the careers of other young hopefuls and steering the way for independent music in Cairns, both Jeremy and Cameron have supported the local music scene on other levels.

Many will recognise Cameron as the creator of leading promotions and touring agency HiFly Productions as well as from his work launching the Tramway, a courageous attempt to fill an ever-expanding gap in the entertainment market following the closure of iconic performing hubs such as Johno’s Blues Bar and the Inbox Café.

Meanwhile, Jeremy, who made his mark supplying music, equipment and advice through Tastey, secured a reputation as a promotions and talent expert via another venture known as Generationext. Though the company has relocated to Brisbane, Jeremy still acts as a consultant and was responsible for helping to launch the career of Australia’s number one ranked DJ TyDi, who came to Cairns recently.

From here, who knows where this formidable duo will go. One thing that’s for certain is, with these motivated musos at the helm, the future of the Cairns music scene is headed in the right direction, even if their own futures aren’t yet so secure.

“I heard that nine out of 10 promoters have gone bankrupt at least once,” Cameron says. “In order to be really rich in this business you’ve got to be able to put a lot of money on the line. We’re not really at that stage right now but we’d like to be in the future.”

Jeremy agrees. “Sometimes when ticket sales are going poorly you think: ‘Oh my God what am I doing’,” he laughs. “But it’s getting bigger and we know those times will come. It’s all about the music at the end of the day. I mean that’s the reason why we DJ and the reason why we put on events, because we want this stuff to be heard.”

 

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