Hatchery 4305 – VEZ @ Studio 188

Studio 188 and VEZ presents… 

VEZ is an experimental folk-improvisational quartet with roots spanning the globe. Drawing deeply on the traditions of Bosnian Sevdalinka, Sephardic music and regional Balkan folk song, they explore what it is to take a song apart and put it back together again in a way that both honours tradition and breaks with it. Comprised of vocalist Caro Manins, guitarist/vocalist Pavle Banović, double bassist Goran Gajić and percussionist Malindi Morris, VEZ seeks to find new ways to explore old stories and folk songs.

Band members – 

Caro Manins –
Caro Manins aka Carolina Moon, is a UK-born multi-faceted singer, composer and performer, whose diverse project palette reflects the many colours of her musical spirit, drawing inspiration from medieval and traditional world musics and contemporary jazz. She has performed across New Zealand, the Greater Pacific, Australia, the UK and Europe, India and China, walking a personal and intimate path through the lore and traditions of medieval and world song, travelling through the spiritual heartlands of Spain, India and France. She sings in many multi-lingual contexts, including songs in Ladino, Medieval Spanish derivatives, French, Medieval French, Greek, Gaelic and English. Her Sephardic CD Mother Tongue has received critical acclaim and has toured nationally and internationally.

Pavle Banović –
Pavle Banović is a Serbian-Australian guitarist and vocalist known for his mesmerising, trancelike guitar riffs that evoke a hypnotic atmosphere. Blending the raw emotional intensity of folk traditions with a grunge-inspired vocal delivery he crafts a unique sound that bridges Balkan folk music and indie. His singing captures the haunting spirit of Serbian folk songs, drawing from the rich musical heritage of the Balkans and the rebellious edge of 1990s grunge, standing out as an emerging musician to watch in the contemporary Balkan music scene.

Goran Gajić –
Goran Gajić is a Bosnian-Australian instrumentalist and composer with many years’ touring experience in Europe and Australia with different ensembles. In 2017, he founded the contemporary modal/ethno jazz group East of West in which he plays double bass and composes music that draws from the musical traditions of the Balkans and Mediterranean, as well as European jazz music traditions. In 2023, East of West was nominated for an ARIA for ‘Best world music album’ for their second album, Moving Home.

Malindi Morris –
Malindi Morris is a percussionist and occasional composer who draws inspiration from the Mediterranean, Balkans, Türkiye, and Iran, and specialises in frame drums and hand percussion. Morris has studied, composed and performed in Australia and Europe with various ensembles such as ARIA-nominated Australian trio East of West and her Slovenian ensemble Lastovka. Her past projects in Australia include extensive work with Balkan folk projects such as award-winning ethno-folk group Mzaza. She has also worked with Čardak, Kučibaba, The Transbalkan Express and Vihor, with performances at folk and multicultural festivals such as the Woodford Folk Festival, The National Folk Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival, Tablelands folk festival, Brisbane Festival, Scheherazade Festival, the National Multicultural Festival, and the Queensland Multicultural Festival.

This work has been developed through the HATCHERY 4305 THE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT INCUBATOR: Artist in Residence Program.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM –
The Artist in Residence (AiR) Program provides up to six weeks access to rehearsal and performance spaces for emerging talent or established artists/groups to research, experiment, collaborate and develop new or existing work which promotes arts and cultural engagement.
Venues – Fire Station 101 + Studio 188
Click here for program guidelines.

Ipswich City Council has transformed the historic Old Baptist Church into the intimate, well renowned performing arts venue, Studio 188. Offering a year-round program of art, culture and entertainment in the heart of Ipswich, Studio 188 boasts a flexible space, regular live music gigs, artist residencies and creative development workshops where big ideas are hatched and people come together in ways that connect and inspire. 

Studio 188 is the home for local artists and community folk to foster industry connections, gain exposure and develop new works, with regular free workshops and programs. 

Studio 188. 

Perform. Promote. Produce.