Location: Melbourne, VIC
Challenge: Various Disabilities
Website: www.bearbrassasylumorchestra.com
The Bearbrass Asylum Orchestra are a crip-folk trio based in Melbourne, Australia whose members all have disabilities. They consist of Jess Kapuscinski-Evans on vocals, Tim Hackett on guitars and Anthea Skinner on percussion.
p>The band first formed in 2012 and play a combination of cover songs and original tracks which explore all the usual topics: love, sex, death, self-advocacy and of course, ancient British mythology.
They say "We're a folk trio who do a mixture of original and cover songs, and are one of the few bands in the world that is more highly medicated than the Rolling Stones."Bearbrass Asylum Orchestra are the house band for Melbourne's hottest (and only) queer/disabled cabaret night 'Quippings' and regularly perform at festivals and clubs around Australia.
Their film clip to our song Welcome, directed by Carl Thompson, recently won the Judges' Choice (Doco) Award in the Focus On Ability Short Film Festival.
The Bearbrass Asylum Orchestra – making disability sound good.
Bearbrass Asylum Orchestra - "Welcome"