Submitted by Riley Hazel the 2024 Spring program in Sydney, Australia…
As it was the final week of my time in Sydney before moving to the second program location in Singapore, I decided to unwind. I, along with a friend of mine, went to this Jazz Live Music Bar called Lazybones in Marrickville, NSW. It was an interesting place, to say the least with 2 floors of live music I hadn’t ever seen before. Now, there may be places that exist like this in the United States, but it is the first time for me. The 2nd floor at the time had some kind of odd live performance of music but the 1st floor was the best with live Jazz performance from Paula Baxter. It was something I hadn’t ever seen before, a small speakeasy Jazz bar. Speakeasy’s are super common all over Sydney, with some history behind them. This one in particular seemed to be more for the older generation of musicians, but I enjoyed my time there. The visuals on the ceilings were hand painted by Japanese artists, but there was the 1920s or 30s Prohibition Era style to it. It was lovely to hear the beautiful voice of Paula while enjoying the scenic view of the 1st-floor cocktail bar. That whole night from 10 pm to 12 am, I just sat and listened and enjoyed the music knowing this was my last time here in Australia. The only difference I could find between the US and Australia was the acceptance of speakeasy culture here than ever in the US. (Submitted on March 7, 2024)