Cover 2 Cover Ready to Launch

Six musicians. Six different musical journeys. One goal: entertain.

What happens when six music lovers with decades of combined experience decide to form a band? You get Cover 2 Cover – the new GemLife Gold Coast house band making its debut at Friday night @ Happy Hour.

Although the group has only been rehearsing together for four months, there's already an unmistakable chemistry. Their combined experience spans everything from six decades on professional stages to just four months learning a brand-new instrument.

Keyboard player Tony Chadwick is the band's veteran performer. He began entertaining audiences at 13 and spent the next 60 years playing in tribute shows to Queen, John Farnham and Idols of Oz, along with numerous bands, most recently The Old Time Rock&Roll Band. "After 60 years playing, I actually retired in 2025 – even sold all my keyboards"; Tony says. My wife Jenni and I moved to GemLife in March this year and I met John, Jill and Mark. Their passion, energy and enthusiasm changed my mind about putting my music aside. "It's always exciting to play with mates."

Guitarist John MacKellar caught the music bug after hearing The Beatles as a teenager. "My father always had the Top 40 playing on the radio. Once I heard The Beatles, I bought a guitar and started learning chords from a book. The Beatles blasted me into '60s music". He played in bands through his teens and early twenties before life intervened. After retiring seven years ago, he rediscovered the guitar and developed a passion for fingerstyle acoustic playing, including the demanding Travis fingerpicking technique.

Rhythm guitarist Gary Currier has also rekindled a lifelong love of music. Although he first learned guitar around 40 years ago, he has devoted much of the past decade to refining both guitar and drums, recently adding electric guitar to his repertoire. Gary previously played alongside fellow band member Mark Parry in a band called Midlife Crisis. Mark is already familiar to many GemLife residents through performances with the Gemtones and as one half of a duo with professional musician Trevor Rix. While he now plays guitar with Cover 2 Cover, he originally began on keyboards and is looking forward to entertaining a home crowd once again.

Behind the drum kit is Mick Bedford, who spent almost 30 years performing with six bands across New South Wales and Queensland before stepping away from music for 35 years. "I really love playing in a group" he says. "We're up there to enjoy ourselves, entertain and have fun."

Bass guitarist Jill Brooks took up bass just four months ago. "I'll have a go at anything" she says. "Playing bass now is a bit premature because I planned to come back as a cool bass player in my next life,” she laughs. Despite being new to bass, Jill brings extensive musical experience. She began piano at age 10 before learning guitar, clarinet and a little saxophone, later completing a Music degree at Newcastle University and the NSW Conservatorium of Music. She spent much of her career as a music educator in primary and secondary schools across Australia and also volunteered in a New Zealand middle school.

For all their different musical backgrounds, the band members agree that playing together is what makes Cover 2 Cover special

"Instead of playing solitary acoustic fingerstyle and singing for myself, I find myself playing chord-based songs and singing with five other wonderful bandmates" John says. "It is a big challenge to coordinate with individual players and stay on the same page, but "I'm loving the challenge".

Gary agrees.

It's daunting, to be honest. It's all about tempo and rhythm, and it's much harder to hide my mistakes!"

For Jill, it's the friendships that stand out. "I love the camaraderie" she says. "I'm super excited about the band's first gig. Our audience can expect to hear six people having a great time."

Friday night's debut promises a lively mix of rock and pop favourites from the 1950s through to the 1990s, all performed live with no backing tracks."

"It's exciting and a little daunting" John admits. We're six individuals listening to one another, working together and creating the music live. There are no backing tracks; nowhere to hide".

The band's ambitions? They're keeping those firmly tongue-in-cheek.

"We should be ready for an Aussie tour by Christmas." Jill jokes.

"The sky's the limit," Mick laughs.

"Maybe a world tour around Dreamworld," adds John.

"But let's get the first gig under our belts ... then tomorrow, the world!"

One question remains: Will Alice show up?