KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS LIVE

… at Eureka Hotel Geelong ’79, Miranda Hotel Sydney ’82 and Victoria Hotel Darwin ’95, is to be released on June 6th 2025.

KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS Live is the 50th release of the Australian Road Crew Association’s (ARCA) Desk Tape Series.

The series was created by ARCA to raise badly-needed finances to provide financial, health, counselling and well-being services for roadies and crew in crisis.

The live tapes are recorded off the mixing desk by a crew member. The crew members doing FOH for these shows are legends of the Aussie music industry.

The tapes are released on ARCA’s Black Box Records through MGM Distribution and on all major streaming services.

Over 55 artists have now thrown their hats in the ring to help support those in need.

The ARCA Desk Tape Series is acknowledged in media for its historical importance in capturing great live music from great live acts.

Huge thanx to Greg Noakes, Philip Morris, John Annas and Billy Yeager for the photos, Nprint for the artwork, Phil Dracoulis for the mastering, and especially Kevin Borich Express members for their support of roadies and crew.

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KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS Live at Eureka Hotel ’79, Miranda Hotel ’82 and Darwin ‘95

BAND

• Kevin Borich                    (Eureka ’79, Miranda ’82, Darwin ’95): vocals, guitar
• John Annas                      (Eureka ’79, Miranda ’82): drums
• Tim Partridge (RIP)         (Eureka ’79, Darwin ’95): bass
• Mal Logan                        (Eureka ’79): keyboards
• Steve Balbi                      (Miranda ’82): bass
• Andy Cowan                    (Miranda ’82): keyboards
• Adrian Cannon                (Darwin ’95): drums

FRONT OF HOUSE

• Gerry Georgettis (RIP)    (Eureka Hotel, Geelong)
• Andy Rayson                                 (Victoria Hotel, Darwin)
• Phil Meltzer                                  (Miranda Hotel, Sydney)

TRACKS

• Eureka Hotel 1979
• I Can’t Wait
• The Snowball King
• Social Disease
• Caught In The Middle
• KB’s Boogie
• Goin’ Downtown
• Miranda Hotel 1982
• Heartstarter
• Don’t Let Go
• Miracle Day
• Slinky
• Bell Hop Blues
• Full Moon
• Working On A New Day
• Good To See Ya
• 1980
• Cadillac Walk
• She Can’t Help It – Goin’ Fishing
• Darwin 1995
• Voodoo Child
• Cadillac Walk
• Goin’ Fishing
• Gonna See My Baby Tonight

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KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS LIVE tape and all the ARCA Desk Tape Series recordings are available through Black Box Records – ARCA (australianroadcrew.com.au) and the following:

https://ffm.to/kevinborichexpress  (paste into browser if it fails to work)

• Amazon
• Apple Music / iTunes
• Black Box Records
• Deezer
• MGM Distribution
• Spotify
• Tidal
• YouTube Music

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Kevin Borich

The latest ARCA desk tape is Kevin Borich, who has won Best Guitarist at many awards nights, and who reveals that his highest charting hit single “Gonna See My Baby Tonight” was inspired by two of his crew.

Starting out in New Zealand, he was ambitious from his teen days, singing “Sometimes I hear my guitar sing” on “Don’t Let Go”.

He explains, “The song is about passion, and going for what you want.

“Most of the guys I went for were classically trained and read music.

“I only had one lesson but it seemed too much like school. I just wanted to play, getting my sound together.”

He earned an overseas following with numerous tours in North America and Europe.

Guitar Heroes

But Kevin Borich continually impressed the cream of international guitar heroes.

At the final Sunbury Festival in 1975, he was walking backstage after the La De Das’ set, and a Deep Purple’s guitar tech asked, “Who was just on?”

“That was my band.”  “Oh, Ritchie (Blackmore) thought it was great.”

“Well, why don’t you tell him to come down to Bombay Rock and jam with us tonight?”

Midway through the night’s set, Kevin spotted a white Strat being carried above the heads of the packed-out crowd, and Blackmore was on stage.

In November 1977, the Kevin Borich Express played on the Rockarena series with Santana, Fleetwood Mac and Little River Band.

Carlos Santana heard Borich at the Moore Park Sydney show before 43,000 and was impressed.

At Calder Park in Melbourne a week later, Kevin was watching Carlos side-stage when during a drum solo, a roadie came over, “Carlos wants you on” and strapped a guitar on him.

The 40,000-strong crowd went nuts. Carlos gestured for him to take a solo.

A few years later when Santana came with drummer Buddy Miles, he invited him to join them at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Santana said: “He’s amazing. He presents his music honestly and is one of the best guitarists I’ve heard.”

Joe Walsh of The Eagles is a close friend. They played together in a Party Boys lineup in 1984.

After the first rehearsal Joe rang him at his Bondi apartment, “Do you have a spare couch?” Since then, Walsh stays at Kevin’s homes.

Starting Out

Kevin Borich started out in New Zealand’s North Island, born in 1948 to parents whose families came from Dalmatia, a region of Croatia.

“They were very poor. They were not musicians, they were too busy trying to survive.

“They bought a run-down apple orchard north of Auckland, putting a £10 deposit.”

At 10, as the boy helped in the orchard, the radio blasting out ‘50s rock and roll. The local picture house screened black and white movies with Fats Domino and Little Richard.

He’d stand in front of the family radio/record player unit, and play on a tennis racquet. “My parents were, should we buy him some tennis balls or a guitar?”

An aunt gave him American blues, soul and country names, including a Hank Williams EP which featured the 1947 song “Honky Tonkin’”.

“That was the first song I mastered. Two chords mate, no worries!”

The Donaldson’s, from the poultry farm next door, would come over for a play, and bring their daughters Judi and Sue to sing. By the age of 12, Kevin had advanced to three chord songs.

His mum thought they had something, and took them to Auckland to cut an acetate. It was his first recording, and remains a prize possession.

The Donaldson girls became The Chicks and had chart success, while Borich’s high school band became The La De Das and from 1966 to 1967 had five New Zealand Top 10 hits.

Around this time Borich came under the sway of Jimi Hendrix.  “Voodoo Chile”, he says, “was everything I wanted rock and roll to be.”

Australia

The La De Das moved to Australia in 1968 and, dropping psychedelic rock to guitar hero power trio sounds, became a huge live drawcard.

At the first Sunbury festival in 1972, main attraction Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs got $2,000 (or $25,000 in 2024 money), chart and live sensations Daddy Cool were paid $1,500 ($18,500 in 2024) and the La De Das could command $1,000 ($12,600).

Many musicians passed through the La De Das (who split in 1975) and the Kevin Borich Band/ Express. Kevin always kept them as three piece.

“Essentially, the more people you have in the band, the more problems you got,” he explains.

“You’re all OK when you start, but when someone starts to write more of the music, then it becomes an issue.

“As a guitarist it’s interesting because you have to cover rhythm as well as lead, so you really need good players behind you that they can fill out so you sound big.”

Borich has always managed to surround himself with great players bringing diverse styles to the table. Some were classically trained.

As the ARCA tapes show, tracks like “Heartstarter”, “Cadillac Walk”, “Caught In The Middle” power along, with Borich ripping out some fiery licks.

But on “I Can’t Wait”, “Working On A New Day”, a more world-weary “Gonna See My Baby Tonight” and 14-minute “She Can’t Help It (Goin’ Fishing)”, the band shows how it can really dazzle with some truly inspired playing.

Teen Prodigies

Borich helped launch the careers of a number of teen prodigies.

One was drummer John Annas, whose Sunbury festival debut at 17 years old wowed everybody.

He emerged with Atlas and Shadowfax, and his reputation reached Borich.

One day he got a call from the guitarist’s manager, Michael Chugg.

It was a short one: “Wanna do the gig? Righto, $160 a gig, you’ll be picked up on Monday for rehearsals. See ya (click).”

It was a baptism of fire. He had to move from congas to the kit when the drummer left.

Just before the new lineup’s first show in Shepparton, in country Victoria, the bass-player was dropped and Tim Partridge came in.

Annis recounts: “Shepparton was on Tuesday night. On the Sunday, after a few hasty rehearsals with Tim, we did the State Theatre in Sydney with Renee Geyer, and then Status Quo at the Hordern Pavilion.

“All this in my first week with the Express!”

Dropping in and out of the band for around two years in a row, Annis spent a total 6.5 years.

In one week they appeared at the Countdown Awards in Melbourne where Borich took Best Guitarist, flew the next day to Adelaide to hook up with Jeff Beck, and on to Perth to open for Rod Stewart where Annis developed a bromance with drummer Carmine Appice.

“People don’t realise how diverse the KBE were. Kevin also had the Latin side, Tim was crazy about funk things like Parliament Funkadelic, but he could rock out as well.

“We had the blues, we had the funk, we had the power trio rock. I went back and listened to the first two albums and they’re pretty bloody good.”

Bassist Steve Balbi was another teen talent that Borich put in the spotlight.

He was 16.5 years old when he got thrown out of school, so he answered ads in newspapers, and ended up in Rufus Red and Rupert B.

In mid-1982 Borich saw him play in late night Sydney nightspot The Manzil Room and rang him the next day at the family home in Newtown.

He had to get his mum’s permission. It was another baptism of fire. The first show was in Auckland before 10,000 people.

In the days before heading to New Zealand, Balbi was staying with Tex, Rupert B’s stage manager who also did sound for DV8.

On the flight over, Balbi was listening to a KBE tape learning the songs.

One change seemed difficult, so he took off his headphones and asked Kevin, who was seated next to him, to listen and explain it to him.

Borich gave him a most puzzled look and asked “Who is this?” The young bassist had in fact been accidentally listening to a DV8 tape!

With the show 12 hours away, Balbi planned to learn the correct songs when he got to Auckland.

However, he ended up visiting a member of a wild NZ band who brought out his stash, and asked if he wanted to try it for the first time.

As a result, for much of his KBE debut he was “heavily vomiting behind the bass amp. I was totally winging it. I must have been OK because Kevin bought me a whisky afterwards and said ‘Well done. Welcome to rock and roll’.”

One of the biggest lessons he learned on the road was in a country town when the local footy grand final was on that night.

The only persons at the gig were the doorman and the bar girl. One of the band suggested, “Why bother playing, let’s go and watch the football. Let’s call it a night.”

 Borich responded, “No, let’s go, we’re on.”

Balbi recalls: “The third song, I looked over at Kevin and he was standing in sweat, playing with all his heart, giving every bit of himself.

“It was a light bulb moment for me. Totally life changing. I’ve never gone on stage without giving everything.”

After four years, Balbi had learned all he could from the master. He wanted to write songs and do more singing. The next step was to help form Noiseworks.

Crews

Kevin Borich had two of his crew in mind when he wrote his biggest hit, The La De Das’ 1971 “Gonna See My Baby Tonite.”

The band were returning from Queensland in long time crew member Wayne “Swampy” Jarvis’ dual-wheel Ford Transit van with aeroplane seats.

The guitarist was sitting behind him, strumming his acoustic guitar and crooning to Swampy pretending to be sleazy nightclub singer in a sequined gown, “I’m gonna love you all night long but when the street lights die, I’ll be gone…”

Swampy laughed, “So what happens next?” (Swampy went on to work overseas with Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and AC/DC. Jarvis, of Wollstonecraft, and died in 2003 of a heart attack aged 57).

The song picked up its tempo, this part inspired by another crew member, John Sweeney, who used to carry quad boxes on his shoulder.

Borich says, “John used to get dressed up in these pink pants. He was a chick magnet.”

By the time the van had gone another 200 kms, the song was finished.

The ARCA live tape sees contributions from three top crew members.

Gerry Georgettis was a one-band roadie, touting all La De Das’ and KBE’s gear in an old Toyota Dyna truck. A legend of the industry.

He moved to Miami and died at 56 in February 2006. Read ARCA’s obituary’s here: https://australianroadcrew.com.au/vale-gerry-georgettis/.

Phil Meltzer, from New Zealand, joined KBE between stints with Choirboys and Rose Tattoo.

He was with them for six to eight months, doing a couple of tours including the famous one when the KBE did a series of Renee Geyer shows serving as opening act and backing band.

He wasn’t sure how he landed the KBE gig, possibly because KBE and Choirboys used the same sound system company.

The Miranda show, one of the smaller rooms in Sydney south, went off without a hitch.

“But at the Armadale in Melbourne, the bass notes from the Prophet 5 synthesiser that the keyboard player Andy was using rattled the windows so loud that you heard them alongside the band”

“Another time, a guy drinking out of a beer jug, turned to his mates and the jug turned with him.

“Most of it ended on the console. I was ripping my T-shirt trying to stop it from going inside. Thankfully the protection devices kicked in and the show continued without a hitch but we had to do a complete dry-out the next day.”

Andy Rayson, who had stints with Brian Cadd, Australian Crawl, The Divinyls, ABC Radio and Bill Armstrong, was working in Darwin on and off for three years touring acts.

The KBE show booked a PA from Top End Sounds who asked Rayson to do FOH sound.

It was a multi-hug reunion for him and Borich: they had met after Kevin first moved to Australia and Andy was playing bass in bands.

“Kevin is a great guitarist, and the Express have always been musically strong, there are never any passengers.”

The Darwin venue he relates could hold 400 “and very tropical, high roof, ceiling fans, outdoor bar area and an indoor bar in the main room.” 

Borich wrote “Call A Friend”, inspired by the publicity ARCA was getting about roadies reaching out to other roadies when feeling low.

He recorded on his 2023 Duets album with Russell Morris, another major supporter of crew wellbeing.

Diagnosed

Kevin was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in May 2005.

He undertook radiation and chemotherapies, as well as 60 dives at 14 fathoms to stop his exposed bones from rotting.”

The treatment resulted in the loss of his salivary glands and some hearing but he says, “I’m just lucky to be alive.”

He lives with his wife Melissa on 88 acres of bush in the Gold Coast hinterland, surrounded by rainforests.

He built the house from scratch, with metre thick picture wall and fireplace, a studio in the basement, and artefacts like a rare jukebox with vinyl records and the acetate he cut in Auckland in his early teens.

“My wife teaches wellbeing and meditation. I make all the noise and she makes all the quiet. It’s ying and yang!”

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For more on Kevin Borich, go to his website www.kevinborich.com.au

For more information on ARCA, go to https://australianroadcrew.com.au/ and to check out the 41 other Desk Tape releases, go to The Desk Tape Series – ARCA (australianroadcrew.com.au)

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ARCA would like to thank the following sponsors of The Desk Tape Series:-

Sponsor                            Industry Roles

• Showtech                         Rigging                           
• CMI                                   P.A and Production                     
• Clearlight                          Lighting                                    
• DSE Trucks                       Transport                                  
• Scully Outdoors               Outdoor Production          
• Gigpower                         Crewing and Staging                            
• Lock and Load                 Crewing                          
• Chameleon Touring        Production and Lighting                        
• JPJ                                      P.A and Lighting                                            
• Novatech                          P.A and Lighting    
• Phaseshift                        Lighting                                    
• Show FX Australia           Pyrotechnics                    
• Event Personnel Australia   Crewing                          
• Norwest                           P.A and Lighting Production
• Nprint                               Artwork

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Ian Peel and Adrian Anderson

ARCA Co-founders and Directors.

Note from founders:-

“ARCA and The Desk Tape Series is a small way we can help our mates get some self-worth and recognition for their contribution to the Aussie music industry and help if they are in crisis. It is a great honour for us to be able to present these memories to all.”

All Hail Roadies and Crew

“Looking after OUR OWN with FEELING and a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE”

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All ARCA enquiries contact :

• Adrian Anderson                          0409 789 440
• Ian Peel                                          0415 667 221
• Michael Matthews (Media)         0418 536 637 – michaelmatthewspr@gmail.com