Dan Palamara speaks to Sarah Halfpenny about his musical journey from childhood Beatles inspiration to touring with The Killjoys and his live performances on the Mornington Peninsula.
How did your musical journey begin?
When my brother and I were kids, we were captivated by the Beatles cartoons and fell in love with their music. Five years later, after music lessons and obsessive practise, my brother and I could perform most of The Beatles’ repertoire. We sang in front of relatives and friends whenever possible. By the time I was 16 years old, we had a band called The Blue Screamers and performed a Rolling Stones song live on The Early Bird Show, hosted by Darryl Cotton and Marty the Monster. We loved it. There was no other career choice for me – I had to become a musician. My father cried.
Tell us about your time playing with The Killjoys.
I was studying music improvisation on bass at Victorian College of the Arts when I was asked to join The Killjoys. That was around 1990, and we went straight into the studio to record the Ruby album. I toured with The Killjoys promoting it; we performed live on Tonight Live with Steve Vizard twice, plus Countdown and JJJ live. There was a lot going on and it was a really fun time. In 1991 the album won an ARIA award for Best Independent Album. In 1992 I left the band to marry and start a family. The Killjoys have released many fine albums, are still going today and are worth checking out.
How do you curate your set list to adapt to different audiences when you’re playing at venues along the Peninsula?
Normally I don’t know which song I’m going to play next until 10 seconds before I start it. I read the mood and the atmosphere, or if I’m stuck I encourage the audience to make requests.
You also offer guitar lessons and musical instrument repairs. What do you find most rewarding about this work?
Seeing students develop into musicians gives me a lot of energy and enthusiasm to keep learning new things myself. I’ve been repairing musical instruments for 35 years and it’s very satisfying when you bring an instrument back to life after it’s been in a state of disrepair and silence for decades.
What are your favourite venues to play at on the Peninsula?
I’ve played at many over the years. Hickinbotham of Dromana has been a mainstay; I’ve played there on the third Saturday of every month for over 20 years. Playing outside on a sunny, breezy day is always wonderful. I’m also a regular at The Heritage Balnarring, Tar Barrel Brewery in Mornington, the Peninsula Beer Garden, and Mr Paul’s.
What are you excited to pursue, musically speaking, in the future?
I hope to continue improving and evolving my live performances, keeping them fresh by finding new ways to present and treat the songs I play. Maybe finally getting around to recording my original songs, which have been waiting for attention for a long time. I love to perform and hope to be doing it for a long time to come.
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