By AIDAN KNIGHT
AN Australian Hip Hop household name is trying to save a venue in Morwell.
Launceston’s Greeley (born Andrew Greeley), previously the figurehead for the Tasmanian Hip Hop Collective, as well as the Australian battle-rap scene, relocated to Loch Sport a number of years ago, and is determined to foster an urban music scene here in Gippsland.
Last year, Greeley helped organise a fundraiser for a local girl battling cancer, drawing the support of community leaders like John Hubbard of Epic Solutions and raising thousands for a worthy cause.
However, the local music scene faces a more existential threat: the Jam Club in Morwell, a cornerstone venue for live hip-hop and creative workshops, is on the brink of closure due to outdated marketing and financial woes.
“The venue has so much potential, but it needs to move with the times,” Greeley shared.
“It’s not just about music, it’s about giving young people a place to belong and dream. With help from people like John Hubbard, who recently lent the club funds to keep the doors open, and interest from institutions like TAFE, there’s real hope we can breathe new life into the space.”
To raise money to allow the Swan Road venue to stay open, Greeley threw together a fundraiser event, in the space of a week, showcasing a plethora of local Gippsland urban artists and aspiring rappers.
Included in the line-up was Sale’s DJ Kilo, a key figure in the initial wave of Australian hip hop acts through the group Art Of War, in the early 2000s. Greeley himself also performed, headlining the night. Local artists, many of whom had never performed to a crowd of that size, or at all, went by the named Lewie Junior, Miss Hood, Target, Vanek, Scoot, and Illmanic.
Greeley and the owners of Jam Club also have a vision for it involving TAFE Gippsland, proposing it be put to use as a music certificate location, housing workshops and student-run events.
Save The Jam Club saw a crowd of 200 in attendance, successfully raising enough money to cover rent for the space. It was an alcohol and drug-free event and featured food vans on the night. The venue can hold around 2000 punters.
Greeley’s journey is as inspiring as it is unconventional.
Born in America, he honed his skills in Texas before becoming a prominent figure in Tasmania, using hip hop not only as a musical outlet but as a way of healing generational trauma and building community.
His experience spans organising legendary battle events, mentoring young rappers from Gippsland and beyond, and overcoming his own challenges – including a stint in jail that renewed his focus on making positive change.
Greeley is vocal about his time as a convict, using it as a story of growth and personal development, which he uses to inform and work with misled youth to try and combat societal crime, with a constant emphasis on community.
“When I was a teenager and all my mates were getting into more serious crime. I was like, ‘well, I got this gig coming up, I’m not going to jeopardise that’,” he shared, on how important an outlet like music is to the prevention of youth crime, especially in rural areas.
“Gippsland is like the Tasmania of Australia in a lot of ways, but there’s a lot of the same culture here among young people about pursuing something like music. Tall poppy syndrome stops people from giving anything a go, but to develop a strong scene here would be really beneficial for a lot of the problems of the area,” he continued, citing similarities in attitudes among young people in both states (regionally).
He is also proud to be an artist operating within the rap space who breaks the cycle of glorifying violence and substance abuse, themes that he sees have no benefit being promoted via music.
“After serving time in Tassie, I did heaps of trauma-informed work, and the issues happening across the board – I get it, I really get it,” he explained, adding that his outreach with young men is centred on “breaking the mould and being someone in Australian hip hop that’s not just encouraging negative behaviour, but showing positive ways forward.”
“I just want to keep encouraging young fellas in negative environments to make positive decisions, show people it can be done,” he said.
With the Jam Club’s future still uncertain, Greeley says he’ll keep fighting to give Gippsland’s young artists the space he never had growing up.
For him, saving the venue isn’t just about keeping a stage alive, it’s about keeping a pathway open.
