Musical sermons from Albany publican ‘Rev’ as he tells his story and passion for tunes

A familiar face at Six Degrees, you might know Geoff Waldeck as “Rev”. Whether he’s behind the bar or jamming out during a Sunday session, Waldeck has been an integral part of the venue since he signed on more than two years ago to bolster his income as a school music teacher. Waldeck has been the venue manager since February — or as he puts it: “director of first impressions”. An imposing figure who could easily pass as the pub’s bouncer, his biggest passion at Six Degrees is the live music side of the business. Most of the gigs take place in the purpose-built Six Degrees Goldroom, where sound engineer Ross MacGregor helped install an industry-standard sound system. “The development of the music program at Six Degrees has been a passion and focus of mine since I started work here,” he said. “Since October 2018, we have averaged three live music shows a week between our Goldroom venue and the front bar. “The exception of course was the period between March 22 and June 19 earlier this year where there was no live music at all.” Waldeck said the impact of COVID-19 on the arts sector was impossible to ignore at Six Degrees. “To re-establish a regular program we had to adjust, and those who have ventured into Six Degrees will know that we have adjusted and adapted quite dramatically and reasonably successfully,” he said. “We have had to develop a self-sustaining live music performance model whereby most of our events are now ticketed. “This means putting the onus on ourselves as a venue, and the musicians we schedule, to present a show worth investing in.” As well as ticketed shows, the pub generally has a few free entry shows each month. A musician himself, Waldeck can often be found putting a show inside the pub he manages. “Occasionally I join in and play with a group of guys who are essentially the house band for our Blues Train events which are a free-entry event that takes place every two to three weeks,” he said. “(They are) a legendary bunch of guys who just love to play and perform on the stage.” He also plays solo and duo shows on most Sunday nights with local guitarist Trevor Williams. At the peak of COVID-19 restrictions, Waldeck spent some time penning new ideas for songs. “Some were just my responses to the crisis and not being able to go to work,” he said. “Some were more stories about how life is changing for me as I get older and greyer. Some were just written very quickly and put up on the Six Degrees Facebook page while we were closed so we had continuity.” The 51-year-old was born in Albany and returned to his home town in 1998 after a 15-year adventure. “I’m sure I was born with a microphone in my hand,” Waldeck said. “I really love seeing people react to my voice when I let it fly. I don’t necessarily look like the way I sing, “My family and my love for storytelling inspire my music, most of my songs could be seen as being semi-biographical fiction.” You might wonder how a publican with a flair for music ended up with the nickname Rev. “When I returned to Albany in 1998, I began playing basketball with the Raiders,” Waldeck said. “Two of the guys in the team were US imports who heard I used to work as a youth worker with a church in Perth and instantly called me The Reverend. “I also had a little blue heeler named Neville, so we became Nev and The Rev.” Waldeck is also a mad blues fan and became involved with the Albany Blues Club in 2008. After the club wound down in 2012, he decided he wanted to start it up again. He hosted a show with his friend Lez Karski in the Goldroom and “it just worked”. “There are some like-minded people in town who are keen to hear great live blues too so we are committed in our own way to keeping it going,” he said. “I tend to do a few things for the club but I’m probably best at booking the bands and hanging out at the shows with a sneaky pint.”