By Vanessa Chircop
FOR Tommy Blank seeing music festival Guitars Across the Bay come to fruition is a long awaited dream come true.
Guitars Across the Bay is the brainchild of Tommy who said he hoped it would bring more people to Williamstown this summer.
“I wanted to do this for the musicians and the audiences to see this fantastic place,” he said.
The two-day festival will feature 43 performances on three different stages at the Seaworks.
Tommy said he wanted to give an opportunity to artists that wouldn’t normally have the chance to perform at a music festival.
“I never thought it would be as big as it is now,” Tommy said.
The long-time Williamstown resident and guitar teacher moved to Australia from Sweden in 1982 to work in an advertising agency as an art director.
The 64-year-old told Star he worked as a freelance art director after leaving the company but also owned a car restoration business on the side.
“All my hobbies I have turned into businesses,” he said.
Following in this tradition and after retiring from the advertising industry he bought a guitar shop where he started giving lessons five years ago but closed last year after deciding to downsize from 40 students per week to 20.
“I still sell guitars but just to my students now,” he said.
Tommy said he has been given a permit to sell 5000 tickets to the festival but needs to sell 1000 tickets to break even.
Guitars Across the Bay will feature performances by the RocKwiz Orkestra, Geoff Achison and The Soul Diggers, John Dallimore, Ray Beadle and Ross Hannaford from Daddy Cool and many more.
Tommy is calling for any businesses that would like to get involved and sponsor the event.
The festival will be held on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March 2011.
For tickets or more information visit www.guitarsacrossthebay.com
