Culture

The grocer shop provides a retail experience that allows you to purchase fruit and veg delivered to the store direct from the growers as well as quality locally made value added products.

The Café restaurant provides a breakfast and lunch menu seven days a week. The seasonal menu features a range of rustic choices that cater for both the meat and non-meat eater from ingredients that are grown, raised, or produced locally.

Two of the finest producers in their fields also operate from the same site and their products feature prominently on the menu. The Second Mouse Cheese Board whilst the bar offers six choices on tap of Badlands exceptional craft beers. Beside their fine selection of local wines the Agrestic Grocer have recently partnered with Cowra’s Pig in the House winery to offer a cellar door experience.

The Agrestic Grocer at the same time has been providing a live music experience, nurturing local live music, which started with live weekend performances by local artists. This led to their very successful “Ruby Tuesday Classic Album Nights”. They also hold regular live music nights by touring artists. A new venture they are hosting, which has been organised by Matt Arthur is “Generations”. This is an evening of original music by songwriters from three different generations who perform a set each then join together to perform a tune that they have collaborated on. All this places The Agrestic Grocer in the position of being one of the premier music venues, where listening to music is the focus of the night whilst enjoying great local food and beverages. No visit to Orange is complete without a stop at The Agrestic Grocer @theagresticgrocer - 426 Mitchell Highway Orange

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Kyle Manning & The Strangers perform Billy Joel (right)

Cecilia Rochelle and band cover Renee Geyer's Ready To Deal  (above)

 

 

The Taste of Music - A Sensory Experience with a Twist

Have you ever wondered what does music taste like? In an interesting experiment the Agrestic Grocer are hosting a special event as part of the Orange Wine Festival. Teaming with The Chambermaids an extraordinary wind quintet and Orange Mountain Wines to produce a unique sensory experience.

Lucas Martin from the Agrestic grocer explained “it all starts with wines chosen by The Chambermaids, who then have based a musical programme on their selections. The arrangements have been provided to our chef (who hasn’t been told what wines they selected) who will put together a menu based solely on the key & tempo of each piece”.

During the evening the audience will be guided through the courses by food, wine & music experts with engaging & enlightening banter. In an interactive experience they will be asked for their response to the question can you match food & wine with music?

A unique sensory dining experience not to be missed, as part of the Orange Wine Festival Saturday 20th October.

You can book for this event at theagresticgrocer.yapsody.com

Classic Album - Choice Cuts

Here’s some choice classic album shows that have happened so far at the Agrestic. If you get a chance to, make sure you catch them at a venue near you.

Bob Dylan – Desire

Performed by Kris Schubert (Safety of Life at Sea) and Amy Viola in the stripped down mode of acoustic guitar and viola. This pair stepped through the nine tracks on the album by introducing them with monologues as if they were short films they portrayed in his mind. These two tangled it all up in a very acoustic shade of blue, truly encapsulating tunes such as Isis which was pure gold with an arrangement that if Bob heard, might even use it himself. “One more cup of Coffee” featured a mesmerising viola performance, working the audience into a communal sway as if a snake charmer were in the room. Their beautiful harmonies on “Oh Sister” was jaw dropping causing audience members to let out a sigh of delight before breaking into rapturous applause.

 

Billy Joel - The Stranger

Performed by Kyle Manning (piano & vocals) & The Strangers – Mickey Young (sax) Christian Young & Dave Egan (bass & drums – rhythm section on loan from the Enormous Horns). A stellar line up that from the opening bouncing chords of Anthony’s Song transports the audience from a converted cool room in Orange to the feel of a mid-70s piano bar down on 52nd Street. Kyle guided the audience through the tunes with some insights about how these tunes inspired him and shaped his playing style. This came through in the joy he put into the performances of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” & “Only the Good Die Young”. The Drumming which could have easily been mistaken for Liberty DeVito was irresistible for some on “Get it Right the First Time” with a Samba breaking out along the back of the room. A masterclass in Classic Album performance.

The Renee Geyer Band -Ready to Deal

Cecelia Rochelle tackled the singing duties with a handpicked band of virtuosos, consisting of the funk soul rhythm brothers of Andrew Ferguson (bass) & Rocky Rochelle (drums). Driving the grooves along Kyle Manning (piano), Matt Arthur (guitar) & Mickey Young (sax). Over three nights they channelled the funk of this 1975 groundbreaking album from Renee Geyer. Laying down deep grooves with the opener “Sweet Love”, Cecelia poured emotion out in her singing that swung between the joy of getting into the funk and emotional baggage in the lyrics, especially during “If Loving You Is Wrong'. The musos took each tune along the funk with Kyle recreating that classic Fender Rhodes vibe, tight guitar right on the groove, Drum & Bass to die for whilst Mickey Young channelling the inner grooves with his Yamaha MX-5 and sax, blew the room away. Purveyors of retro funk should do everything they can to ensure that they catch this show next time it is performed.

 

Speaking of funk, the latest Classic Albums event at The Agrestic Grocer was the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik, performed by Lueth Ajak and red hot backing band The Power Of Equality. 

Classic Album Venues

The Classic album concept is one that is now featuring across a number of areas where the Haze shines a light on what‘s happening musically. If you liked the sound of these shows watch out for them at these venues:

Bathurst:Two Heads Brewery @twoheadsbrew

Lawson:Mesa Barrio @mesabarrio

Windsor:The Old Church