This show consists of five local singer-songwriters picked in part for their past association with the Bootleg Session, a weekly Monday gig night at the Phoenix Bar. Booked by Ben Drysdale for around ten years, the Bootlegs became a bit of a sensation and burned bright for quite a few years before it burned out. Ben will be appearing, as will Alice Cottee, Jim Sharrock, Beth Monzo and Tom Woodward. Read on below for a potted and possibly controversial history of the era, followed by some self congratulatory bios of the performers.

The Bootleg Sessions

It began fairly inauspiciously around the turn of the century as a weekly Monday night jam. More of a band practice really as the same characters played pretty much every week. At some point a skinny little weirdo called Ben Drysdale started organising a bit more of a show and the formula - four acts; a solo, a duo and a coupla bands, took shape.

Drysdale had a knack of finding new acts from far and wide and convincing them to play on a Monday night for a few pennies and fewer punters. But gradually more people started coming to see the bands, and the pennies, collected, cajoled, from the crowd into an old ceramic piss pot, mounted as well.

And then Hadley started MC’ing. A mad, whirring, scintillating mind set loose on a room with no restrictions and fewer rules. For a few years, nobody remembers how many, you had to line up to get into the Phoenix on a Monday night. And there was nary a band in Canberra too good to play at the Bootlegs. It was a badge of honour. A rite of passage. A baptism of beer. Even in the middle of winter people would stand in line outside to imbibe the good vibes of the Phoenix’ Bootleg Sessions.

And then, without anyone really noticing, it was over. Or it dwindled away, much like the venue that hosted it. People moved on to other cities or jobs or hobbies. Other venues came and went. People had fun here and there and good gigs were known to happen.

Despite the hopeful tone of the name of this show, the Bootlegs can’t be revived. They exist best in our collective blurred memories, fragmentary and conjoined, a big messy jigsaw puzzle of images, sounds and smells, some we’d rather forget, others we shall treasure forever. 

Appearing at Bootlegs Rebooted:

Ben Drysdale is an award-winning singer songwriter and Indie Folk artist from Canberra who has recently embarked on a new project under his own name after two decades fronting bands including Smitten, Beth n Ben, and funk and soul outfit East Row Rabble. His debut solo single ‘If I Don’t Lie Down’ came out in December reaching #4 on the AMRAP regional charts. His second single, 'Listen Now' dropped in July debuting at #2 on the Australian Independent Record Label Association charts (trumping Kylie Minogue that week). Both singles have received rave reviews from around the world.

Ben’s songs span from vulnerable and visceral ballads exploring the darkness of the human condition to upbeat foot stompers full of energy and hope. 

Ben credits much of his artistic development to the amazing local musicians he learned from and played with over his years running local original music showcase events around Canberra under the moniker, Cardboard Charlie including 7 years at the helm of the Bootleg Sessions from 2004-2011.

Beth Monzo has been an avid performer in the Canberra music scene for over 20 years performing as a solo singer-songwriter and in multiple bands. In that time, Beth has been fortunate to share the stage with the likes of Chris Isaak, Julia Jacklin, INXS and Sarah McLeod. Clever lyrics, catchy songs, fun guitar, Beth's solo show is high energy and banter friendly.

Tom Woodward is a folksinger, guitar picker and writer of strange but compelling songs. Hailing from Canberra, he honed his craft at Backyard Bachanals and Bootleg sessions and has continued writing, recording and performing ever since. He is pretty much an old man now. In early 2023, to celebrate oldness, he put down the guitar and embarked on a two month walk up the east coast of Australia, ending in a hospital stay and a hard-earned respect for the fragility of life. A year and a half later he got deported as an illegal alien from the USA. Sentenced to a wandering life by a sardonic and hilarious God, Woodward has been laughing, crying, and singing about it for far too long now.

Alice Cottee’s soaring vocals and ‘meat and three veg’ guitar tone suggests she grew up on a farm with a large paper shredder. Over two decades, she has fronted bands Dollface, No Hausfrau and most recently punk-rock band Glitoris.  With the latter amping the ante as Keven 007 - a fast and furious not-so-secret agent tearing up the patriarchy through her bizarre stage antics.

Alice’s raw songwriting and velvet-coated croon has penetrated hearts in venues and festivals around the world and at home including Woodford Festival, WOMADelaide and The National Folk Festival.

Jim Sharrock is a Canberra based musician and teacher. He has been involved in the Canberra music and community arts sector for 30 years. When he’s not touring, he’s working as a clown doctor at the Canberra Hospital, taking school groups around the National Australian Botanic Gardens or performing with This Way Orkestra. Jim’s previous bands include Dubba Rukki and Doctor Stovepipe. He has also played percussion for many bands, dance groups and theatre shows.