TOOTGAROOK musician and raconteur Kevin Vis has lived a colourful life, travelling the world seeking adventure and meaning, and creating music wherever he goes.
A bit of a jack-of-all trades, New Zealand-born Vis has worked in the fitness industry and been a landscaper and boat skipper, and even played fictional Australian character Keith Elliot in the Swedish soap opera Friends and Enemies.
There were many distractions and deviations before Vis found his way to the Mornington Peninsula in 2001, including playing in bands in Europe and rubbing shoulders with the glitterati of the international music world, but on his own admission, his current Rosebud gig for the homeless is the most rewarding and humbling.
Vis plays with his partner Dee Brown as the duo The Calmer Miles at venues around the peninsula, but every Monday he takes his guitar to Rosebud foreshore where he strums away in the background while the Splash team provides support and food for rough sleepers and those in need.
He says some people listen, some hum along, and others just carry on with “their business”, of surviving.
“But the wonderful thing for me is that it’s a great vibe down there and it’s a great feeling to be able to add to that vibe and see some smiles and people humming or just lying under a tree tapping their toes to the music,” he said.
“There is such a need in the community at the moment, and I’m only there for an hour or so but it’s great to being part of something that is good and positive.”
Vis says there is “a lot of energy” to the scene at Rosebud foreshore when the Splash team visit on Mondays, and he feels he can be a “pied piper” to draw people in to enjoy the music.
“Music does that, it brings people in, and I’d even like to bring some drums and maybe get people involved in the music,” he said.
During his Monday sessions, Vis plays an aptly named Vagabond guitar, which he helped design with Seaford guitar aficionado James Cargill, son of guitar maker Merv Cargill.
The Vagabond is a smaller, shorter and lightweight guitar that has a bold sound but is easier to handle and manage, and can be used by people in wheelchairs, travellers or just those who can’t handle a large guitar.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 December 2023
