Voices from the Vacant Lot

Andrew likes :) Yachts , yoghurt , yoga . Pigs , Picasso & ping-pong.

Dislikes :( Yodeling , yardsticks ,yobbos . Pie charts , plutonium & Pratolini.

benfink is a singer/producer/composer based in Sydney, Australia. Ben has been involved in the Australian independent music scene for many years, working with acts such as The Whitlams, The Stiff Gins, Brett Hunt, Lior, and Waiting for Guiness.

Ben cut his teeth in the mid ‘90’s funk scene with his band King Clam, a nine piece soul groove ensemble that gained play on Triple J and toured extensively. It was round this time Ben joined Voices from the Vacant Lot. Then, in 1997, Ben, over a quiet beer in Bondi, joined the Whitlams. After experiencing their unexpectedly fast rise and 4 years of non-stop national and international touring, with his muse calling Ben decided to move on.

In 2002 Ben produced the Stiff Gins debut album, Origins. After nationally touring that album with the Stiff Gins, Ben started work on his album, Continue to breathe normally…. Ben also continued to compose with the Whitlams frontman Tim Freedman.

Around 2004 Ben hooked up with singer songwriter Lior during this period, and has toured and recorded with his band. Ben co-wrote Lior’s single I’ll Forget You. Ben is now a member of gyspy punk mariachi jazz band Waiting for Guinness as their guitarist.

Continue to breathe normally…, Ben’s first album under his own name, traverses elements of soul, folk, groove, blues and jazz, all brought together by the ideas and sonic expertise of fellow VVL member Benn Hudson.

other interests include raising children, photography, architecture, drawing and street theatre

Catriona's diverse passions expanded in 2010 when she simultaneously joined Voices and became a mother. The combination was unusual yet effortless and positively life-changing!
By profession a naturopath, masseuse, and tertiary educator, for the past several years Catriona has also been a member of physical theatre company Strings Attached as a performer and deviser, and has performed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Peats Ridge Festival, The Great Escape, Underbelly Festival, Chalk the Walk Festival and various other festivals and private events. She has also been dancing Contact Improvisation and attending workshops and classes in Australia, Japan, Spain, Germany and the United States.
For several year she has also been a dedicated student of Pancha Tanmantra (five element kung fu) and is very grateful for its contribution in her personal journey.
As a singer, MC and keyboard player, Catriona has been a member of Assemblage Point and performed in Australia, Japan and Spain. Currently, she and partner Benn form Voices of Ascent (VOA), a "positive personal political hiphop group", currently writing and recording their first album.
Being in Voices from the Vacant Lot is providing Catriona with a wonderful opportunity to learn about musical cultures around the world, develop her vocal skill, and work/play with a group of similarly passionate, engaged and dedicated singers who sing from a place of social awareness, cultural respect, and above all, from the joy in their hearts.

Once upon a time in a small town far far away a little fairy met a fierce dragon. Competing to see who was the most powerful magical creature they set about casting random spells on the farmers.
The dragon made fried and baked farmers with her hot breath and the fairy with a sprinkle from his wand made sparkly sequined lycra farmers that danced and sang 24/7.
From that day forward all the farmer children were born half baked or sparkled.
I'm one of the mutant half baked singing dancing cross breeds.

Over the past 40 years Graham has played music of a variety of traditional and contemporary genres, with such bands as Pleasure Machine, Jimmy Strachan’s Scottish Country Dance Band, Kavalcade, Koce Stojcevski’s Wedding Band and the Cambridge (Mass) Folk Orchestra.

He has appeared on recordings by Bruce Watson, Penelope Swales, Graham Dodsworth and Enda Kenny, and done various freelance performances with Linsey Pollak, Mara! and Kim Sanders among others.

After a 10-year stint in theatre in the 70s and 80s, as an actor, musician and set designer, Graham moved to Melbourne, where, during 1986-7, he performed with the Yugoslav folk dance group ‘Jugo Kolo’, which he also taught for 3 months, and the Serbian troupe ‘Avala’. He spent most of 1988 in Macedonia studying Macedonian language, folk music & dance on a stipend from the Yugoslav government, including taking tapan lessons from Kazim Idris. Further collecting and study trips in 1995 and 2000 were to Macedonia and Bulgaria, where he studied tambura with Giorgi Manovski, and attended the Koprivshtica and Bitola festivals.

Graham has conducted successful dance classes in Tulln and Gossam (Austria) and Oxford (UK) as well as Melbourne, Canberra, Port Fairy and Yackandandah. He has also taught at AADE & Orff Schulwerk Summer Schools. In 1992, he worked for a year as teacher/choreographer for the Melbourne Vlach Association Dance Group.

Graham joined Voices soon after moving to Sydney in 2001. Since then he has also played in Keklik Aile and the Bosnian Romany band Encore!, and performed as a dancer and musician with Yorgo Kapiris, Stomna and Duša Balkana. More recently he has played Macedonian dance music with Risto Todoroski and Mara & Llew Kiek, and studied Taiko drumming with Taikoz.

Jessica Douglas is a founding member of Voices. Her experience in with Voices, international relations, traveling and living overseas and studying Indonesian has brought Jessica into contact with people of diverse backgrounds and honed her communication, organisation and training skills.

Jessica has studied Shiatsu, Yoga and Tai Chi and has brought elements of this bodywork to vocal and performance workshops in Canberra, NSW South Coast and Melbourne. In 2001 she completed a BA in Environmental Studies and Indonesian language. Other musical endeavours include Exit Laughing, Martenitsa, Big Fat Chord, Voci di Dona and Hananu Kore'An. Jessica latest adventure is raising two young boys.

I'm currently performing with my drummers group Batuki (www.batuki.com), the Coastie Boys (see us on Foxtel when the Mariners play) and uke-core hipsters The Soup Herbs. I'm thinking if people can get away with saying "irregardless" I'm going to say I am a tenor. Sadly, the Global Bass Crisis has me often dep-ing with the big boys who are allowing me to explore my bottom end.

Michelle Svenger has developed a diverse background in music and dance, plays piano, flute, baroque recorder, Djembe, Darabuka, Req, Zills, and other percussion toys. Also studied Flamenco, Salsa, West African dance, Dance Orientale, & American Tribal Style dance. In addition to her involvement with Voices from the Vacant Lot, she performs regularly with other bands/dance troupes including Gypsy Mania.

Thomas is passionate about raising children, flying, sailing, and... well, performing. Basically a baritone and a counter-tenor, he sings tenor because it is more interesting and challenging. He plays guitar and blues harp well enough for a number of public appearances, dabbles with slide guitar and banjo, and is very slowly learning the saxophone. So much to do, if only there was time.