James Harrison is the founder of The People Place Music Club in Frankston North and is an enthusiastic and positive individual whose busking prowess in Frankston is legend. Not only does he play for the love of it, he openly gives his busking money away to street kids in need.
Many years ago, he started Learners and Burners for people who didn’t have a cue on how to perform in front of people. Since then his vision has grown from the initially half a dozen people who turned up to hundreds of musos who now attend The People Place Music Club’s permanent premises in Frankston North.
Harrison is affiliated with different music clubs and is continually looking to encourage local, shy, or inexperienced musos a chance to shine and grow in confidence so they can perform in public. His happy, positive, and energetic energy breathes life and confidence into hopeful musos by allowing them the chance to get up on stage and perform by running Friends of Frankston Station. This is an incentive in crime prevention that helps young street kids through singing and allowing them to play their own material or covers. Every Thursday at 12noon, the Frankston station comes alive with local kids who get up and perform on stage while commuters go about their daily business.
Harrison is a sought after musician and gives freely of his time. He performs at Michael Court hospital for psycho-geriatric patients in a volunteer basis each month, and gigs regularly with many musicians locally and up town. On occasions he performs his original material, but his love of covers along the bluegrass/mountain style genre is his choice. Harrison is one of those natural musicians who can play banjo, guitar, keyboards, harmonica and probably any other instrument that takes his fancy. He plays damn good too.
You can catch Harrison performing at The People Place Music Club most Sundays from 1pm. There is a cover charge of $5.00, which entitles you to heaps of yummy cakes and tea and coffee. The club is situated at Mahogany Neighbourhood Centre, 26 Mahogany Ave, Frankston North, and holds open mike on the third Sunday of every month from 1pm.
Until next month… live well
TERRI LEE FATOUROS