FACEBOOK EVENT
MAIN ROOM / FREE
Gena Rose Bruce and Juice Webster will join forces to bring their vocally driven, emotionally charged, alt-folk/rock songs to Victorian fans this September and October, beginning with The Retreat for the Moon Dog: Sunday Arvos in September series.
They'll be playing a series of intimate solo shows in Melbourne/Wurundjeri land, Castlemaine/Dja Dja Wurrung land and Beechworth/Yorta Yorta land, performing works from their acclaimed releases - Gena's debut album "Can't Make You Love Me" and Juice's sophomore EP "More Than Reaction" - and sharing some new songs for the first time.
Gena Rose Bruce's Can’t Make You Love Me is an intoxicating ride through love, lust, surrender and revival - a distinct and dynamic debut from a young artist with a clear vision. Gena’s vocals drive this album; a stirring force amidst the pulsing rhythms, echoes of Mazzy Star and Lynchian undertones. A vibrant youthfulness and deep maturity underpins her writing, allowing songs to swing effortlessly between earnest introspection and cool detachment with utter sincerity. With it’s infectious melodies and biting lyricism, Can’t Make You Love Me is as playful as it is confessional. Released on Dot Dash Recordings in 2019, the album received widespread praise nationally and abroad; 4+ star reviews and Feature Album on NPR (USA), The Age, Herald Sun, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and more. Prior to the pandemic, Gena was scheduled to perform at SXSW (US) and had announced her first ever UK Headline tour for May 2020. Instead, Gena embraced the last 12 months as an opportunity to dive deep into new music, writing and recording her anticipated forthcoming album.
Often found curled up with her guitar in bed, on the couch or in any other comfortable space within her home, Juice Webster writes from a place that seeks to find meaning in the world around her. Juice’s songwriting holds an affecting quality, maturity and depth which delivers wisdom beyond her years; a sound that is uniquely hers. Her lyrics linger, her harmonies hold weight and the moods she casts through the moments she recounts permeate their way through the very core of its listener. This year saw the release of Juice's sophomore EP, “More Than Reaction” - a body of work that examines the different ways in which she feels small and at the mercy of her surroundings and place in the world. Recorded in Blairgowrie during the early stages of 2020, when a large portion of Australia was up in flames, you can almost feel the tension between the hazy, lazy recording environment and the existential terror that was unfolding. It’s an EP that explores the anxieties that come with simply being, and the comfort we find in those around us.
The Retreat Hotel would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which The Retreat now stands, and pay our respects to all elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded and that our venue operates on stolen land.