BIO
MARK CAIN
Musician Performer Composer Instrument Maker
West Australian saxophonist, instrument maker and composer, Mark Cain’s career spans world music, jazz, experimental and free improvised genres, including music he has written for dance, theatre, short film and his numerous bands. As a multi-instrumentalist and instrument maker he co-founded in 1987 the ground-breaking concept group, AC/PVC, who designed and built all their instruments. He toured internationally with Nova Ensemble (1991 - 2006); performs in the national Musica Viva schools program (approaching three decades with Nova Ensemble, Ozmosis and currently, Eastwinds) and has worked throughout Australia as a solo performer in schools with Nexus Arts (Victoria) playing instruments of his own invention from simple, recyclable materials. Over his career he has performed in countless schools. both in city and regional Australia. Formerly a radio journalist, Cain was also responsible for training Western Australia’s first indigenous radio journalist/broadcasters as part of Noongar Radio (Ab Radio) at Radio 6NR (Curtin University 1979–85).
Instrument Maker
Cain is recognised for the instruments he makes from plumbing accessories and other recyclable industrial materials, dating back to his work in Tall Stories (with his mentor, Linsey Pollak in 1985) and AC/PVC (1987 - 91). His trademark is his use of simple, commonly available materials to create imaginative and often whimsical instruments whose surprising sounds confound their origins.
He has worked in many indigenous and regional communities among musicians and non-musicians alike, building instruments from ‘found’ or recycled materials, collaboratively devising performances that explore local themes. His 2012 Musica Viva/AIR Grant Artist-In-Residence was a collaboration (with a visual artist) constructing an interactive sound playground at Belmay Primary School in Western Australia. In 2014 and 2015 Cain was Musician in Residence for Tura New Music in indigenous communities on the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley WA, working alongside community members to construct a series of musical sculptures sited at Lombadina school. In 2017-18 he was Musician in Residence at Safety Bay Primary collaborating with the school community to construct a large-scale sound playground based on a nautical theme.
Performer and Educator
As an educator, Cain has worked extensively in schools and artist-in-residence projects in communities around the country. For two decades he performed and toured variously in Australia and oversees with the Nova Ensemble (1991-2006) and subsequently, Ozmosis (2008 – 2013) in the national Musica Viva In Schools programme. His projects at this time included the duo, Windcheaters (with fellow reedman, Lee Buddle), touring as a solo artist with Nexus Arts (1992 - 2021), Victoria. Between 2014 - 2018 Cain was a WASO Teaching Artist (OKME) at Onslow Primary School (WA) with percussionist, Paul Tanner. He has also worked with the Song Room on a school sound installation.. As a freelance musician, a former sessional music lecturer (School of Music, University of Western Australia) and producer and broadcaster (The Planet, ABC Radio National). His long-time interest in Balkan, Jewish klezmer and jazz-inflected world music led to groups: Bulgarity, Rita Menendez Trio, Crab Tango, Elastic Band, Caravan. In 2008 he shared the WAM World Music Award with his group, The Flying Carpathians.
In 2009, Cain founded the quintet, Daramad, who won the Songlines/World Music (Network Medien) international competition, World Battle of the Bands (2013) Two of his compositions (with Daramad) are released on the international Rough Guide To World Music label - Rough Guide to Arabic Jazz and Rough Guide to the Best Arabic Music You've Never Heard and Rough Guide to Arabic Cafe.
For decades Cain has worked as a catalyst bringing together musicians from different parts of the world including his long involvement with Kulcha in Fremantle and formerly the North Perth Ethnic Music Centre. He currently performs with the group he co-founded in 2014, Eastwinds, featuring musicians from Iran, Estonia, Japan and Australia. In 2016 Eastwinds won the WAM Song of the Year competition (World Music) and performed at the National Folk Festival (Canberra), Fairbridge Festival (WA) in consecutive years and Nanga Music Festival (WA). Since 2018 Eastwinds tours nationally with Musica Viva in Schools. In recent years Cain has also toured playing at festivals with Indian-born sarod player, Praashekh Borkar in the Praashekh Quartet. In his various groups he has been a mainstay performer at the Fairbridge Music Festival for the past 15 years.
Based in Fremantle WA, Cain plays an array of wind instruments, including saxophones, clarinets, flutes and ethnic woodwinds as well as wind and percussion instruments of his own invention, many of which are featured on his largely solo multi-woodwind recordings, Reeds and his more recent, Cameos.
Recent and Past Activity
2023 Performance and instrument-making workshops with LIMA (Launceston, Tasmania)
2023 Awesome Arts Musician in Residence - Punmu & Kunawarritji (RAWA Lands)
2022 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS NSW north metro tour
2022 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS Victorian tour
2922 Musician, Awesome Arts Gascoyne Junction PS residency
2022 Member, Eastwinds Musica Viva Pannawonica (WA) short residency
2022 Member, Zagoria Quartet, Nanga Festival (WA)
2022 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS North QLD regional tour
2022 Member, Awakenings Ensemble, concert at Duke of George
2022 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS NSW south-west/metro north tour
2022 Presenter, World Music Cafe Workshop
2022 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS Government House concert
2022 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS Pannawonica residency (WA)
2021 Released his solo cd, Cameos (Parenthèses Records)
2021 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS tour NSW Metro
2921 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS tour South Australia
2021 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS tour NSW north region
2021 Member, Awakenings Ensemble, Hemispheres Series Concert PSAS
2021 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS Government House concert
2021 Member. Eastwinds, MVIS Kalgoorlie/Meredin tour
2921 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS Yanchep schools residencies (Yanchep Lagoon PS, Yanchep Beach PS)
2021 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS schools residency, Dudley Park P.S.
2021 Member, Eastwinds, MVIS schools residency, Falcon P.S.
2021 Member, Zagoria Trio, Perth Zoo Concert
2121 Member, Zagoria Quartet, Duke of George
2021 Member, Swara Synthesis concert with Avra Bannerjee
2021 Duo with Ilan Zagoria - Melville Midwinter Concert, Point Walter
2020 Member, Praashekh Quartet, Fairbridge Festival WA
2020 Member, Praashekh Quartet, Albany Harbourside Festival & Wolery concert (WA)
2020 Member, Eastwinds, Musica Viva in Schools - live Zoom concerts: QLD regional schools
2020 Member, Eastwinds , Musica Viva in Schools - live Zoom concerts: NSW regional schools
2020 Member, Eastwinds , Musica Viva in Schools - live Zoom concerts: Esperance schools
2020 Member, Eastwinds, Musica Viva in Schools Metro concerts (WA)
2020 Member Eastwinds: PSAS Hemispheres - Yasukazu Kano collaboration concert
2020 Convenor, Hemispheres (world music series): Derek Gripper (South Africa)f
2019 Member, Tapestri Tour - Albany/Denmark (Baluji Shrivastav, Lucky Oceans et. al)
2019 Member, Tapestri Tour- Ellington Jazz Club (Baluji Shrivastav, Praashekh, Lucky Oceans)
2019 Member, Praashekh Quartet, National Folk Festival, Canberra
2019 Convenor, Hemispheres (world music series): Manran, Jigjam, BandItaliana_
2019 Member, Eastwinds - Ellington Jazz Club
2019 Member, Eastwinds MVIS touring: Victoria, mid-west WA, SW WA and metro schools
2019 WASO Teaching artist, Onslow (WA) recurrent residency
2019 Member, Eastwinds MVIS Kalgoorlie region tour
2018 Artist-In-Residence, Griffyn Ensemble (Canberra): Innovative instruments project
2018 Member, Junkadelic, HonkOz Festival, Woolongong, Vic
2018 WASO Teaching Artist, Onslow P.S.
2018 Eastwinds Musica Viva in Schools show development
2018 Member, Eastwinds, HonkOz WA festival
2018 Member, Zagoria Quartet, Harbourside Festival (Albany WA)
2018 Denmark Festival of the Voice: Praashekh Quartet
2018 Member, Praashekh Quartet: Fairbridge Festival WA
2018 Member, Eastwinds, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
2018 Musician-In-Residence, Safety Bay P.S. completion of sound playground community project
2017 Musician-in-Residence, Safety Bay Primary - construction of sound playground project
2017 Nomination, WAM World Music Award: Praashekh Quartet
2017 Member, Eastwinds, Festival of the Voice, Denmark WA
2017 Member, Praashekh Quartet, Harboursound Festival, Albany WA; & Wolery, Denmark WA
2017 Member, Eastwinds, Hemispheres - Music of the World series, PS Art Space
2017 Member, Praashekh Quartet, Fairbridge Festival WA
2017 Praashekh Quartet, cd release, Swara Blend
2017 Perth International Arts Festival: Eastwinds, Winthrop Hall Gardens
2017 Sound Scripts Periodical Vol 5: Dr Robin Ryan - Forging a Singular Musical Path
The Compositional Explorations of Mark Cain (WA New Music Archive)
2017 Convenor, Hemispheres - Music of the World Music Series, PS Art Space
2017 Member, Eastwinds - opening TASA Conference (Australian Sociological Assoc.) UWA
2016 Perfect Beat periodical: Dr Robin Ryan In Conversation with Mark Cain
"Kernels of Discovery - Original Musical Instruments and Acoustic Sound
Designs (Perfect Beat (online) ISSN 1836-0343)
2016 Member, Eastwinds, National Folk Festival Canberra – performances/workshops
2016 Member, Eastwinds, Nanga Music Festival
2016 Member, Eastwinds, Fairbridge Festival (WA)
2016 Member, Persian Music Collective, Fairbridge Festival (WA)
2016 Member, Eastwinds at the Ellington Jazz Club
2016 WAM Song of the Year winners (World Music): Eastwinds
2016 WASO Teaching Artist (with Paul Tanner) Onslow WA
Bands (1985 - 2016)
Eastwinds
Zagoria Quartet
Praashekh Quartet
Awakenings Ensemble
Daramad
The flying Carpathians
Club Qahira
Nova Ensemble (directed by David Pye)
Ozmosis & Ozmosis Street Band
Nova Ensemble
Miracle Band X (led byJamie David)
AC/PVC (with Peter Keelan)
Windcheaters (with Lee Buddle)
Orchestra of the Global Nomads
Bulgarity (with Ross Bolleter)
The Elastic Band
Wanderlust Trio (with Phil Kakulas)
Caravan (with Andy Copeman)
Language (with Diego Bosco)
Slices of Albert (with Tos Mahoney & Ross Bolleter)
Rita Menendez Group
Tall Stories (with Linsey Pollak, Kimberley/Pilbara Tour 1985)
The Ran Dan Club (Derby residency, 1991)
Toucan Tango (with Steve and Ros Barnes)
Eduardo Cossio trio/quartet
Playback Theatre
My very first recording was with WA Indigenous singer/songwriters, Vi Chitty & Merv Graham in 1979 (Homegrown)
Festival Appearances
International
Taiwan 1994 [Austrade]
JakArt Festival 2001 [Jakarta]
Singapore 1998 & 2003 [Musica Viva touring]
Australia
Across the Top Tour [Musica Viva] [WA, NT & QLD]
Perth International Arts Festival [WA]
'Beat It' Synergy Percussion Series [Sydney]
National Folk Festiva (ACT and Victoria)
Fringe Benefit Festival [Sydney]
Maleny/Woodforde Festival [Queensland]
Bougainvillea [Darwin]
Launceston [Tasmania]
Port Fairy [Victoria]
Brunswick [Victoria]
REV - Real/Elecrtronic/Virtual Festival [Brisbane]
National Folk Festivals [Victoria & ACT & WA]
Adelaide Come Out Youth Festival [SA]
Evos New Music Festival [WA]
Nanga Festival
The Totally Huge New Music Festival [WA]
Awesome Festival [WA]
Toodyay Festival [WA]
Fairbridge Festivals [WA] - numerously
York Jazz Festival
Nannup Music Festival
Festival of the Wind [Esperance]
Augusta River Festival
Harbourside Festival [Albany]
Harboursound Concert Series [Albany]
Denmark Festival of the Voice